The weapons package prompted a flurry of threats from China, which warned on Wednesday that any U.S. effort to support the island’s independence will “push the Taiwan people into the abyss of disaster.” Ma Xiaoguang, the CCP’s spokesman in the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, described the arms deal as “no different from tying a bomb to every Taiwan compatriot,” according to comment published in the country’s state-controlled press.
Congressional leaders fear that China will invade the country, as Russia did in Ukraine, catching Western nations off guard. Taiwan said last week that it is prepared to defend itself against China’s “military expansion.” China could use the new arms package as a pretext to invade Taiwan. Hawley told the Free Beacon that the United States cannot stand by and wait until Taiwan is attacked.
“In true form, CCP goons respond to any attempt to protect Taiwan from invasion with violent threats and prevarications,” Hawley said. “We must arm Taiwan to defend itself against a Chinese attack as quickly as possible. We can’t wait until it’s too late.”
Hawley’s legislation would make it easier for the United States to send critical defensive weaponry into Taiwan, including equipment to bolster its Patriot surface-to-air missile system. It would also turn Taiwan into a member of Country Group A:5, a formal trade designation that would put the country on par with other NATO allies.
