The White House is seeking congressional approval for an advanced arms...

In parallel with the high level of tension between China and Taiwan, the White House is pushing Congress to approve the completion of an advanced weapons deal to Taiwan, according to Reuters quoted by sources describing it as “informed”.
And last month, there was talk of a possible deal between Washington and Taipei, which includes seven major weapons systems, as part of President Donald Trump’s administration’s strategy to boost pressure on Beijing.

Two sources familiar with the matter told the agency that the White House was pushing ahead with the sale of three advanced weapons systems, and in recent days it sent a notice of the deals to Congress for approval.

The two sources noted that leaders of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee have been informed that the US State Department, which oversees foreign military sales, has approved three of the planned arms deals.

“As a general policy, the United States does not confirm or comment on defense sales or proposed transfers until Congress has been formally notified of them,” a State Department spokesman said. There was no immediate comment from the office of Taiwan’s representative to Washington.

According to the agency, the sales that have been notified to Congress include the “HIMARS” missile system, long-range air-to-ground missiles of the “SLAM-ER” produced by the company “Boeing Co”, and external sensor equipment for the “F-16” aircraft that allow transport Images and data directly from the aircraft to the ground monitoring stations.

Warnings about the use of force

Just days ago, US National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien warned China against any attempt to seize Taiwan by force.

At a conference at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas, O’Brien said that China is building a huge naval military force that may not have happened since Germany’s attempt to compete with the British Royal Navy before World War I.

He added, “In part, this aims to give them the ability to push us out of the western Pacific Ocean and allow them to carry out amphibious landings in Taiwan (…) The problem with that is that amphibious landings are very difficult,” referring to the 160-kilometer distance between China and Taiwan and the lack of beaches Landing on the island.

“It is not an easy task, and there is also a lot of ambiguity about what the United States will do in response to China’s attack on Taiwan,” he added, in response to a question about the US options if China moves to try to control Taiwan.

The United States is legally obligated to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, but has not made clear whether it will intervene militarily in the event of a Chinese attack, which is likely to lead to a much broader conflict with Beijing.