Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te, during his visit to the United States, explained the importance of joint efforts to prevent a war, underlining that peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait are most essential.

Taiwan is under constant threat of a future military attack or invasion from China, which claims the island as its own territory. To propagate its position, Beijing frequently sends warships and fighter jets near the Taiwan coast as a demonstration of its military capabilities and territorial claims.

President Lai Ching’s remarks were made amid swelling tensions with China, which considers Taiwan as a breakaway province and rejects any official interaction between Taiwan and the U.S. Lai that is based on the shared values of democracy. Taiwan has been calling for global cooperation to prevent any future war or a conflict with China.

The United States is Taiwan’s most important ally and primary supplier of military equipment. However, Washington adheres to a policy of “strategic ambiguity,” leaving a state of confusion whether it would send troops to defend Taiwan against an attack from China.​

The Taiwanese president Lai Ching-te’s visit coincides with the upcoming inauguration of Republican President-elect Donald Trump in January 2025. During his campaign, Trump raised concerns by suggesting that Taiwan should bear the financial cost of its defense by the United States.

Meanwhile, the United States has approved a $385 million arms deal with Taiwan, covering the sale of military radar systems and spare parts for fighter jets.

“This proposed sale serves US national, economic and security interests by supporting the recipient’s continuing efforts to modernize its armed forces and to maintain a credible defensive capability, The proposed sale will improve the recipient’s ability to meet current and future threats by maintaining the operational readiness of the recipient’s fleet of F-16 aircraft.”

DSCA (U.S.)

China has increased its military activities around Taiwan in recent years, frequently deploying warships and fighter jets near the Taiwanese islands. On Saturday, Taiwan’s defense ministry reported the detection of 18 Chinese military aircraft, 07 naval vessels, and 02 balloons within the 24-hour period ending at 6:00 a.m. (22:00 GMT on Friday).

China’s Foreign Ministry expressed strong condemnation of U.S. support for Taiwan President Lai Ching-te’s visit and filed an official protest with Washington. Additionally, it criticized the recently announced U.S. arms sale to Taiwan, reaffirming its claim over the self-governing island as part of Chinese territory.

“We firmly oppose official interaction with China’s Taiwan region in any form and vowed to resolutely crush any attempts for Taiwan independence. China will closely monitor the situation’s development, and take resolute and forceful measures to safeguard the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”

Wu Qian, a spokesperson for China’s defense ministry

“This sell of arms from the U.S. will help maintain the combat readiness of the Air Force’s F-16 aircraft equipment and bolster our air defense” 

Taiwan’s defense ministry

The Taiwanese Air Force is gearing up to receive its first F-16 Block 70 fighter jets from the United States. These aircraft, produced by Lockheed Martin and aligned with F-16V upgrade program standards, have experienced delivery delays. These setbacks are part of broader hold-ups in transferring U.S. military equipment to Taiwan, vide a separate contract under the “Soaring Phoenix” acquisition project.

President Lai Ching-te kicked off his weeklong journey in Hawaii, with plans to visit the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, and Palau next. These 03 nations are among the 12 that still maintain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, highlighting their significance in strengthening Taiwan’s global relationships.