By Jim Morris, Warrior Vice President, News
Just days after China ended wide-ranging military drills surrounding Taiwan, U.S. members of Congress underscored American support by meeting with Taiwan’s new leader and promising that long-promised weapons are on their way.
The chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Michael McCaul, told reporters after meeting with President Lai Ching-te in Taipei, “We are moving forward on those weapons systems. I’d like to see it faster, but they are forthcoming.”
In September, 2022, the US agreed to sell $1.1 billion of weapons to Taiwan. The package includes a radar warning system and surface-to-air and air-to-air missiles.
Still, members of Congress have complained that there’s a backlog of weapons ordered by the Taiwanese that have not been delivered. According to Defense News, those include Harpoon and Stinger missiles, which have been sent to Ukraine instead.
McCaul told reporters, “We have to wait a period of two to five years for the weapons to go into the country (Taiwan). And that is way too long.” He said he would push the Biden administration and the defense industry to speed up the process.
China has been ramping up pressure against Taiwan for several years. Last week’s maneuvers were seen as an escalation. According to Taiwan’s defense ministry, 49 Chinese aircraft, 19 naval ships and seven coast guard vessels were tracked close to Taiwanese territorial waters on Thursday.
China Taiwan Invasion Possibility Video Analysis
Some experts have said that if Beijing moves against Taiwan, it might begin with a blockade or a quarantine a 3432gainst the island. On Friday, China released a video showing an animation of Taiwan being enclosed within a circular target area while simulated missiles hit key targets.
While those Chinese maneuvers ended over the weekend, Taiwan said on Monday it had tracked 21 Chinese warplanes and eleven ships operating nearby.
McCaul told NBC News that strong US support for Taiwan will make China question whether it is worth attacking Taiwan.
“We have to demonstrate that the consequences would be way too severe, and risks would outweigh the advantages,” he said.
