Despite the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s obligatory objection to new arms sales, the United States needs to sustain the diplomatic commitments maintained by the last nine presidents.

The National Interest
Date: October 2, 2018  
By: Dean Cheng

The United States on Sept. 24 announced a new set of arms sales to Taiwan. Valued at $330 million, this sale comprises  mainly spare parts and equipment to support Taiwan’s air force, including its F-16s and C-130s.

This marks the second major arms sale to Taiwan by the Trump administration, following a $1.4 billion sale in June 2017 that included long-range missiles and heavy torpedoes.

Not surprisingly, Beijing promptly denounced the sale. The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman  declared that “the U.S. arms sales to Taiwan severely violates the international law [and] the basic norms governing international relations.”
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