TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Premier Chen Chien-jen thanked the United States on Monday (July 31), highlighting the close communication and coordination between the two countries in addressing security issues.
Chen's remarks came after the Biden administration announced the new weapons package for Taiwan valued at up to US＄345 million three days earlier.
U.S. House representatives also introduced a new bill called the "Taiwan Peace Through Strength Act" to expedite and prioritize U.S. military sales to the island nation to enhance Taiwan's defense capability in response to increased threats from the People's Liberation Army's military aggression.
The "Taiwan Peace Through Strength Act" also seeks to eliminate the limitations of only "providing Taiwan with arms of a defensive character," as stated in the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA), as the Taiwan government is determined to maintain the status quo.
Su Tzu-yun, division director of defense strategy and resources at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, analyzed that with countermeasure weapons, "Taiwan can transition from defensive defense to offensive defense in the future, which is the first step of active defense. Consequently, Taiwan will have more options when conducting defensive operations."
However, the new U.S. aid package could further strain relations with Beijing, which has been demanding that the United States halt the sale of weapons to Taiwan. Recently, a military enthusiast intercepted a recording of a Chinese fighter jet simulating scenarios involving U.S. military planes approaching Chinese airspace.
Military expert Shih Hsiao-wei commented that this exercise indicates that "if the Chinese military encounters U.S. military planes entering China's airspace or the baseline of territorial sea in the future, they may respond more aggressively to drive them away."
