And it could hit the Chinese homeland in a war if it came down to it.

The National Interest
Date: October 24, 2020
By: Peter Suciu

This year Beijing has all but made its intentions crystal clear about its relationship with Taiwan, which has long been seen as an illegal, breakaway providence whose de facto government it does not recognize. China has not been shy about the saber-rattling against Taiwan in recent months.

This has included increasing its naval presence in the Taiwan Strait, while the People’s Liberation Army Air Force has frequently cut into Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone. The threatening posture has also included warmongering editorials in the state-run media, but yet Taipei has remained vigilant against this aggression.

Help could be on the way, as the U.S. State Department approved the potential sale of three weapon systems to the Republic of China (aka Taiwan), which include sensors, missiles and artillery systems in a deal worth a reported $1.8 billion. This Foreign Military Sales (FMS) was approved less than two weeks before the U.S. presidential election and was delivered electronically to Congress from the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency on Wednesday.

It likely will only further intensify tensions between Washington and Beijing, but Taiwan has long been seen as the first line of defense for America’s interest in the region, while the arms sale is just the latest attempt to contain China’s military aggression and expansion.
[FULL  STORY]