Big US arms bundle for Taiwan consists of HIMARS rocket programs, howitzer artillery, antitank missiles, and drones.
Printed On 18 Dec 2025
The USA has permitted $11.1bn in arms sales to Taiwan, one in all Washington’s largest-ever weapons packages for the self-ruled island, which Beijing has promised to unify with mainland China.
The US State Division introduced the deal late on Wednesday throughout a nationally televised deal with by President Donald Trump.
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Weapons within the proposed sale embody 82 Excessive Mobility Artillery Rocket Techniques, or HIMARS, and 420 Military Tactical Missile Techniques, or ATACMS – value greater than $4bn – defence programs which might be much like what the US had been offering Ukraine to defend in opposition to Russian aerial assaults.
The deal additionally consists of 60 self-propelled howitzer artillery programs and associated tools value greater than $4bn and drones valued at greater than $1bn.
Different gross sales within the bundle embody army software program valued at greater than $1bn, Javelin and TOW missiles value greater than $700m, helicopter spare elements value $96m and refurbishment kits for Harpoon missiles value $91m.
In a collection of separate statements saying particulars of the weapons deal, the Pentagon mentioned the gross sales served US nationwide, financial and safety pursuits by supporting Taiwan’s persevering with efforts to modernise its armed forces and to keep up a “credible defensive functionality”.
Taiwan’s defence ministry and presidential workplace welcomed the news whereas China’s overseas ministry didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark from the Reuters information company.
Washington’s enormous sale of arms to Taiwan will doubtless infuriate China, which claims Taiwan is a part of its territory and has threatened to make use of power to deliver it below its management.
“The USA continues to help Taiwan in sustaining adequate self-defence capabilities and in quickly constructing sturdy deterrent energy,” Taiwan’s defence ministry mentioned in an announcement.
Taiwan presidential workplace spokesperson Karen Kuo mentioned Taiwan would proceed to reform its defence sector and “strengthen whole-of-society defence resilience” to “reveal our dedication to defend ourselves, and safeguard peace by energy”.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Workplace mentioned on Wednesday that it opposed efforts by the US Congress to cross payments “associated to Taiwan and firmly opposes any type of army contact between the US and Taiwan”.
“We urge the US to abide by the one China precept and the provisions of the three Sino-US joint communiques : Cease ‘arming Taiwan’, cease reviewing related payments, and cease interfering in China’s inner affairs,” the workplace’s spokesperson Zhu Fenglian mentioned in an announcement.
Zhu mentioned Taiwan’s political leaders had been pursuing “independence”, and had been “keen to let exterior forces flip the island right into a ‘battle porcupine’,” which might consequence within the inhabitants turning into “cannon fodder” and “slaughtered at will, which is despicable”.
Taiwan’s President William Lai Ching-te final month introduced a $40bn supplementary defence price range, to run from 2026 to 2033, saying there was “no room for compromise on nationwide safety”.
