$11B Arms Deal Sparks China Fury Over Taiwan Tensions

China warns the US will “harm itself” after approving an $11B Taiwan arms sale, escalating Taiwan Strait tensions amid rising US-China military rivalry.

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Dec 23, 2025 - 20:04

$11B Arms Deal Sparks China Fury Over Taiwan Tensions

On Thursday, the United States approved the sale of $11.15 billion worth of weapons to Taiwan, reportedly the largest such deal for the island to date. This comes as Taiwan faces increasing threats from China and amid heightened diplomatic tensions between Beijing and Tokyo.

Beijing reacted strongly to the move, with its Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Guo Jiakun, accusing the US of violating the "One-China principle."

"By aiding Taiwan's independence through arms sales, the US will only harm itself," Guo said, according to a translation of his statement in Mandarin. "Any attempt to contain China by using Taiwan will fail."

Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense said the sale – which includes artillery systems, anti-tank missiles, as well as spare parts for helicopters and anti-ship missiles – falls under the $40 billion supplementary defense budget announced by President Lai Ching-te in November.

Lai pledged last month to boost Taiwan's self-defense capabilities in light of growing threats from Beijing, aiming to achieve a high level of combat readiness by 2027. He also warned that China is aiming to seize the island by 2027.

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Lai cautioned against Beijing's "unprecedented military buildup" and "increasing provocations in the Taiwan Strait, the East and South China Seas, and across the entire Indo-Pacific."

On Wednesday, Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense said in a post on X that China's Fujian aircraft carrier had sailed through the Taiwan Strait, adding that its armed forces had "monitored and responded to the situation." In response to Taiwan's supplementary budget, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said at a press briefing that the Democratic Progressive Party's "plan to resist reunification and achieve independence by using armed forces will fail," referring to Taiwan's ruling party.

China has been pressuring Taipei and has conducted numerous military exercises off the island's coast in recent years, issuing stern warnings against Taiwan's "provocations for independence."

Beijing considers democratically governed Taiwan its own territory, and Chinese President Xi Jinping views its reunification with the mainland as "a historical inevitability." Taiwan rejects these claims. Matt Gertken, chief geopolitical strategist at BCA Research, said the U.S. move was President Donald Trump's way of "giving Taiwan some deterrent power back" while trade negotiations with China continued. Gertken added, "So he's saying to China, we're willing to trade. We're not going to completely cut you off from semiconductors, but we're not going to let you invade Taiwan."

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According to Reuters, the largest U.S. package to date includes 82 HIMARS rocket artillery systems and related equipment worth $4.05 billion, including 420 ATACMS missiles with a range of up to 300 kilometers, as well as unmanned surveillance systems and military software.

It also includes 60 M109A7 self-propelled howitzer systems and related equipment worth more than $4 billion, as well as Javelin and TOW anti-tank missiles worth more than $700 million.Guo said,"This [arms package] seriously violates China's sovereignty and territorial integrity. It severely undermines peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and sends a seriously wrong signal to separatist forces advocating for Taiwan's independence."

The United States does not have a mutual defense treaty with Taiwan and is not obligated to defend the island.

However, the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act states that the U.S. will provide Taiwan with such defense articles and defense services as may be necessary "to enable Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability."

In November, China lashed out at Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi after she said that an attempt to seize Taiwan by force could trigger intervention by Japan's Self-Defense Forces.

Beijing, which demanded that Takaichi retract her statement and apologize, has advised its citizens against traveling to Japan as it remains embroiled in a diplomatic dispute with Tokyo.

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