Already a subscriber? Make sure to log into your account before viewing this content. You can access your account by hitting the “login” button on the top right corner. Still unable to see the content after signing in? Make sure your card on file is up-to-date.

China has condemned the United States’ decision to sell a $11.1 billion arms package to Taiwan.

Getting into it: The package, described as the largest US arms deal to Taiwan in history, dramatically surpasses previous military sales. It includes 82 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and 420 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) valued at over $4 billion, along with 60 M109A7 self-propelled howitzers and related support systems. Additional items include over $1 billion in drones and loitering munitions, $1 billion in advanced military software, Javelin and TOW anti-tank missiles worth more than $700 million, $96 million in helicopter spare parts, and $91 million in refurbishment kits for Harpoon anti-ship missiles.

Taiwan is expected to fund the package through its recently announced $40 billion supplementary defense budget, which runs from 2026 to 2033. This allocation was introduced by President Lai Ching-te as part of a broader effort to enhance Taiwan’s combat readiness by 2027 and respond to what Taipei calls an “unprecedented military buildup” by China. While the sale is subject to Congressional review, bipartisan support for Taiwan in the US Congress suggests a smooth path forward.

The US State Department stated that the deal “serves US national, economic, and security interests” by strengthening Taiwan’s ability to defend itself and deterring aggression in the Indo-Pacific region. Taiwan’s government strongly welcomed the sale, with a spokeswoman from the presidential office saying, “Our country will continue to promote defense reforms, strengthen whole-of-society defense resilience, demonstrate our determination to defend ourselves, and safeguard peace through strength.”

China in turn has condemned the move. In a statement, Guo Jiakun, a spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry, said the arms package “seriously infringes upon China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. It gravely undermines peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and sends a seriously wrong signal to the separatist forces for Taiwan independence.” China’s Taiwan Affairs Office echoed this, warning, “By aiding Taiwan’s independence through arms sales, the US will only end up harming itself. Any attempt to use Taiwan to contain China is doomed to fail.”

Another Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson, Chen Binhua, added, “We urge the United States to immediately cease its policy of arming Taiwan and to stop condoning and supporting separatist forces advocating Taiwan independence.”

There has been no response from the US related to China’s comments.