china has shown irritation after Taiwan said that it will continue its purchase of military equipment from the United States. Taiwan also stated that their purchase of weapons has contributed to a rise in U.S. jobs, making the deal mutually beneficial. Nevertheless, a defiant and independent Taiwan is an unacceptable eventuality for China.
Taiwan vows to continue purchase of weapons
Even under the watch of Beijing, Taiwan adamantly stated its goal to upgrade its defense through weapons purchased from U.S. arms manufacturers like Lockheed, Raytheon, Boeing, and BAE Systems, to name a few.
Taiwan plans on purchasing more military equipment (missile defense systems, helicopters, jet fighters) to upgrade its defenses. The country also is purchasing amphibious assault vehicles and armored transportation from its sole arms dealer, the United States.
Taiwan is now focusing on improving its Air Force and air defense capabilities. As reported by Reuters, the Taiwanese government is planning to upgrade its Air Force with the purchase of F-35 fighter jets from the US, which will be the first arms transaction with Taiwan under Trump's administration.
What are the consequences of Taiwan enforcing its sovereignty?
China has long been irritated by Taiwan's autonomy for years. Since its break with the mainland during the Communist takeover of China, Taiwan parted ways in both political and ideological policy.
The only thing that prevents China from overrunning Taiwan is the guaranteed protection by the United States. Taiwan asserted its separate identity from China, which further fueled Beijing's resentment, however, until now, the island nation hasn't formally declared independence from mainland China.
How will the United States continue to support Taiwan without compromising peace with China?
Forcing China to its knees economically was one of Trump's campaign promises and he is expected to accomplish it. This is why an arms deal with Taiwan is most likely to continue, given the stoic stand of China over the Korean crisis, despite numerous requests from the U.S.
for China to act against its ally.
Also, as Trump wants to create more jobs it has been reported that this arms deal has provided a boost in employment in roughly six U.S. states, namely Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Utah. China has yet to issue a formal reply to Taiwan's continued arms deal with the United States.
