The United States supplies arms to Taiwan again, tensions with China are rising
America has agreed to sell $620 million worth of arms to Taiwan on an exceptional basis. This can be used by Taiwan to purchase F16s and medium-range missiles. Now that the tension between China and America has increased, the question is how China will react: “Serious consequences will not be achieved, but the fire will certainly flare up again.”
The arms supply is part of a “slow warming” between the two countries, says Sens Hofstede, a researcher on China-West diplomatic relations at the Clingendael Institute. “You will see that China sends planes to Taiwan again in response, and that Taiwan receives new weapons after that.” In this way, the tension becomes progressively more and more threatening.
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People’s Congress
The National People’s Congress will be held this weekend, and the question is whether there will be a response to new arms supplies from the United States. This conference has been prepared in detail beforehand, so nothing surprising will appear.” Here, too, the gradual increase in temperature would appear again.
“It is likely that the main consequences of this arms handover will not be realized, but the fire will certainly flare up again.”
Also read | China continues to threaten fighter jets in Taiwan
escalation
How realistic is the chance of an escalation of the situation in the short term? According to Hofstede, this chance is very small in the short term: “This process is very gradual, not in big shocks. You don’t have to worry until China imposes a blockade.
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