The United States approved a $330 million arms sale to Taiwan on Thursday, marking the first military transaction since President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced the package includes critical spare parts and support services for Taiwan's F-16 fighters, C-130 transport aircraft, and Indigenous Defense Fighter fleet.
The approval comes approximately two weeks after Trump met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea to finalize a trade agreement between Washington and Beijing.
Taiwan's Defense Ministry expressed gratitude to the United States. It confirmed that the sale is expected to take effect within one month, bolstering the island's ability to maintain its self-defense capabilities amid increasing military pressure from China.
What Does the Arms Package Include
The $330 million Foreign Military Sales package encompasses non-standard components, spare and repair parts, consumables, accessories, and repair-and-return support, specifically designed for three critical aircraft types in Taiwan's arsenal.
The F-16 fighters, which have been upgraded to the F-16V standard, receive parts for the AN/APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam Radar and associated power units, processing modules, and cooling elements, forming a dedicated supply chain vulnerable to disruption.
For the C-130 Hercules tactical transport aircraft, the package includes hydraulic circuits, wing components, and older avionics sets requiring access to protected technical data and specialized repair capabilities.
The four-turboprop transport carries military payloads over roughly 3,800 kilometers. It operates from short or semi-prepared runways, making it essential for resupplying Taiwan's outer islands and supporting airdrop operations in degraded environments where standard aircraft cannot function effectively.
Did you know?
Taiwan's F-16V fighters utilize the AN/APG-83 AESA radar system that can simultaneously track multiple targets while resisting jamming, bringing the aircraft closer to fifth generation fighter performance levels despite being a fourth generation airframe.
How Has China Responded to the Sale
China's Foreign Ministry issued a strong statement opposing the arms sale, characterizing it as interference in internal affairs and a violation of Chinese sovereignty claims over Taiwan.
Beijing has consistently maintained that democratically governed Taiwan is Chinese territory and has refused to rule out the use of military force to achieve reunification with the island.
The People's Liberation Army has intensified what analysts describe as gray zone operations, deploying military aircraft and warships around Taiwan on a near-daily basis without triggering outright conflict.
Data from Taiwan's Ministry of Defense shows PLA air sorties surged from 30 in 2016 to 1,703 in 2023, with more than 3,000 incursions into Taiwan's Air Defense Identification Zone recorded in 2024 alone, including frequent crossings of the median line in the Taiwan Strait that China appears intent on normalizing.
Why Operational Readiness Matters for Taiwan
Maintaining a high operational readiness rate directly determines how much airpower Taiwan can actually deploy when Chinese forces conduct incursions or exercises near the island.
Without a steady flow of critical spare parts, Taiwan's air force would be forced to cannibalize aircraft for components, rapidly reducing the number of fully mission-capable fighters available to hold combat air patrol lines over the Taiwan Strait under emission control constraints.
The F-16V fleet serves as Taiwan's primary asset for air policing and conventional strike missions, while the Indigenous Defense Fighter provides additional interceptor capability explicitly developed for the island's defense needs.
Taiwan's air force faces the constant challenge of scrambling jets to monitor and respond to PLA aircraft that penetrate deeper into airspace-restricted areas, imposing significant operational strain on pilots, maintenance crews, and equipment that accelerates wear and increases the demand for replacement parts and support services.
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Will This Sale Impact US-China Trade Relations
The arms sale approval follows months of concern in Taipei that Trump might deprioritize Taiwan's security interests in favor of securing trade concessions from Beijing.
In September 2025, Trump reportedly paused more than $400 million in military aid to Taiwan while attempting to broker a comprehensive trade agreement with China, raising fears that the island could become a bargaining chip in bilateral negotiations.
Trump previously stated that Xi Jinping assured him that China would not invade Taiwan during his presidency, though the timing of this arms sale, so soon after their South Korea meeting, suggests Washington intends to maintain its defense commitments regardless of economic agreements.
The approval may help reassure Taiwan and regional allies that the United States will not sacrifice security relationships in pursuit of trade deals, though analysts note the relatively modest size of the package compared to previous multi-billion-dollar arms sales under the Biden administration.
What Legal Framework Governs US-Taiwan Defense Cooperation
The Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 legally binds the United States to provide Taiwan with arms of a defensive character in quantities necessary to enable the island to maintain sufficient self-defense capability.
The Act requires the President and Congress to determine the nature and quantity of defense articles solely on the basis of their judgment of Taiwan's needs, establishing a framework that has endured across multiple administrations despite the absence of formal diplomatic relations.
Under the TRA, Washington maintains the capacity to resist any resort to force or coercion that would jeopardize the security or social and economic system of the people on Taiwan, though the Act does not guarantee automatic US military intervention in the event of a Chinese attack.
The United States considers any effort to determine Taiwan's future by other than peaceful means, including boycotts or embargoes, a threat to peace and security in the Western Pacific area and of grave concern to American interests in the Indo-Pacific region.
This latest approval demonstrates the enduring strength of the legal and political framework that has governed US-Taiwan defense cooperation for over four decades.
As China continues to expand its gray zone operations and military capabilities, Washington's commitment to providing defensive arms ensures Taiwan can sustain the operational readiness necessary to deter aggression while regional powers navigate an increasingly complex security environment in the Taiwan Strait and broader Indo-Pacific theater.
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