What’s in Biden’s $428 Million Arms Deal to Taiwan? ｜Taiwan Talks EP43

📹Host: Gladys Lee/Rath Wang "The Biden administration has announced its seventh arms sale to Taiwan. This package is comprised mainly of fighter jet parts totaling US$428 million. Taiwan Talks examines what defense articles Taiwan needs the most from the U.S. to mount an effective deterrence against a Chinese invasion. U.S. analysts have mentioned that China could eye 2027 as a potential invasion target. We explore how the country can boost its self-defense capabilities over these critical five years and the national security challenges the next Taiwan president will have to overcome. In this episode, Alexander Huang, Taiwan’s main opposition party, the Kuomintang's International Affairs Director and Representative to the U.S., former Taiwan Mainland Affairs Deputy Minister; and Chen Fang-yu, Soochow University Assistant Professor of Political Science, former research fellow at George Washington University and the Global Taiwan Institute in Washington, D.C. discuss what this arms sales means for Taiwan and how the Taiwan-U.S. military ties is the best deterrence to a Chinese invasion. We also hear from Su Tzu-yun, Institute for National Defense and Security Research Division of Defense Strategy Director, on the details of the articles of this arms sale and how it will boost Taiwan’s defense. Topics discussed: Contents of the seventh Biden arms sale to Taiwan and whether it is sufficient in mounting a credible deterrence against a Chinese invasion Have tensions between the U.S. and China abated since Joe Biden and Xi Jinping met in Bali? How the U.S. House approved five-year annual 2023 NDAA military aid of up to US$10 billion for Taiwan strengthen the country’s self-defense capabilities and the differences between aid to Taiwan and to Ukraine Is the amount of arms sales to Taiwan indicative of each U.S. president’s China policy or is it more reflective of the U.S. response to China’s aggressive behavior in the region? How credible is the year 2027 in terms of a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan? Impact of Chinese domestic unrest, Xi Jinping’s consolidation of power upon the death of Jiang Zemin, on the CCP’s appetite for launching a military attack on Taiwan Implications of increased action in Taiwan Strait from U.S. allies, from Canada’s warships sailing across the Strait, to encouraging words from the leaders of Italy, France, and Germany Taiwan’s increasingly assertiveness stance towards taking over Taiwan, from preventing independence to actively pursuing “unification” How Cross Strait relations could look like with Taiwan’s new president in 2024 How Taiwan is further integrating its supply chains with the U.S., especially with TSMC’s new Arizona plant "