The United States will supply Taiwan with new weapons, not old ones like Ukraine, the head of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Michael McCaul, said on Monday during a visit to Taiwan.
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A US congressional delegation led by McCall is in Taiwan from May 26 to 30. On Monday, the US delegation was received by Taiwanese Chief of Staff Lai Qingde, who was inaugurated on May 20, after which the PLA Eastern Combat Command Zone held joint military exercises around Taiwan on May 23-24 involving land, navy, air force and missile forces to test level of combat readiness of troops.
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“Unlike Ukraine, I get a lot of questions about this, where it is predominantly a land war, (in the case of Taiwan) it is primarily sea battles. Taiwan, unlike Ukraine, will receive new weapons systems, not old ones… It will be a new a stockpile of (weapons) that will be supplied to Taiwan and, by the way, some of our latest technology,” McCall said at a press conference.
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The Chinese leadership has repeatedly stated that China will do everything possible to reunite with Taiwan peacefully, but does not rule out military measures if necessary.
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Beijing considers Taiwan an integral part of the PRC, and adherence to the “one China” principle is a prerequisite for other states wishing to establish or maintain diplomatic relations with the PRC. The “one China” principle and non-recognition of Taiwan’s independence are also observed by the United States, despite the fact that they maintain close contacts with Taipei in various fields and supply the island with weapons. Beijing regularly names the Taiwan issue as the most sensitive issue in its relations with Washington.
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The situation around Taiwan worsened significantly after Nancy Pelosi, then Speaker of the US House of Representatives, visited the island in early August 2022. China, which considers the island one of its provinces, condemned Pelosi’s visit as US support for Taiwanese separatism and held large-scale military exercises.
