U.S. Arms Sales to Taiwan
After months of anticipation, on August 20, 2019, the Trump administration formally notified Congress of the possible sale of 66 F-16 fighter aircraft to Taiwan for $8 billion, drawing greater attention to U.S.-Taiwan arms sales, especially as U.S.-China trade talks appeared to be faltering.
U.S. arms sales to Taiwan have a long history and take place, in part, under of the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 that Congress passed shortly after President Jimmy Carter ended official relations with Taiwan. Under that Act, the United States "will make available to Taiwan such defense articles and defense services in such quantity as may be necessary to enable Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability." While officially recognizing China and having formal diplomatic relations with Beijing, every presidential administration has since maintained unofficial relations with Taiwan and notified Congress of arms sales to it.
From 1979 to 2018, 77% of arms imported by Taiwan were of U.S. origin, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)’s arms transfers database. According to the Congressional Research Service, the Obama administration (2009-2017) notified Congress of more than $14 billion in Foreign Military Sales (FMS) and licensed another $6.2 billion in Direct Commercial Sales (DCS) to Taiwan. As of August 21, 2019, the Trump administration has notified Congress of more than $12 billion in potential FMS purchases by Taiwan, with the $8 billion for F-16s being the largest notification by far.
Taiwan, also referred to as the Republic of China, became the seat for the Chinese nationalists following their defeat by Mao Zedong's Communists on the mainland in 1949 and the corresponding establishment of the People's Republic of China (PRC) there. Taiwan is currently recognized by fewer than 20 countries worldwide, and lost its United Nations (UN) seat to the PRC in 1971. Since 1949, Beijing has maintained that Taiwan is simply a part of mainland China under its "one China" policy, while Taiwan has claimed independence to varying degrees under different governments.
At the time of the notification, cross-strait relations appeared particularly tense. Tsai Ing-Wen, president of Taiwan since 2016, had publicly criticized the "one country, two systems" consensus viewed by Beijing as assurance that Taiwan will not seek full independence. Xi Jinping, president of China since 2012, had proved to be just as upsetting to the status quo -- he retaliated against Tsai's pro-independence tendencies by pressuring countries to sever relations with Taiwan and placing financial strains on Chinese investment and tourism spending in Taiwan.
U.S. arms sales to Taiwan have a long history and take place, in part, under of the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 that Congress passed shortly after President Jimmy Carter ended official relations with Taiwan. Under that Act, the United States "will make available to Taiwan such defense articles and defense services in such quantity as may be necessary to enable Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability." While officially recognizing China and having formal diplomatic relations with Beijing, every presidential administration has since maintained unofficial relations with Taiwan and notified Congress of arms sales to it.
From 1979 to 2018, 77% of arms imported by Taiwan were of U.S. origin, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)’s arms transfers database. According to the Congressional Research Service, the Obama administration (2009-2017) notified Congress of more than $14 billion in Foreign Military Sales (FMS) and licensed another $6.2 billion in Direct Commercial Sales (DCS) to Taiwan. As of August 21, 2019, the Trump administration has notified Congress of more than $12 billion in potential FMS purchases by Taiwan, with the $8 billion for F-16s being the largest notification by far.
Taiwan, also referred to as the Republic of China, became the seat for the Chinese nationalists following their defeat by Mao Zedong's Communists on the mainland in 1949 and the corresponding establishment of the People's Republic of China (PRC) there. Taiwan is currently recognized by fewer than 20 countries worldwide, and lost its United Nations (UN) seat to the PRC in 1971. Since 1949, Beijing has maintained that Taiwan is simply a part of mainland China under its "one China" policy, while Taiwan has claimed independence to varying degrees under different governments.
At the time of the notification, cross-strait relations appeared particularly tense. Tsai Ing-Wen, president of Taiwan since 2016, had publicly criticized the "one country, two systems" consensus viewed by Beijing as assurance that Taiwan will not seek full independence. Xi Jinping, president of China since 2012, had proved to be just as upsetting to the status quo -- he retaliated against Tsai's pro-independence tendencies by pressuring countries to sever relations with Taiwan and placing financial strains on Chinese investment and tourism spending in Taiwan.
Select Resources
Government
Congress
Other Forum resource pages or publications by Forum-listed experts
Government
- Foreign Military Sales (FMS) notifications under the Trump administration
- 2019 (multiple dates): F-16s ($8 billion, August 20), F-16 pilot training & logistics support ($500 million, April 15), Abrams tanks ($2 billion) and Stinger missiles ($223.56 million, both on July 8)
- 2018 (all on Sept 24): blanket order for spare parts for F-16s, C-130s, + ($330 million)
- 2017 (all on June 29): radar ($400 million); missiles - AGM-154C JSOWs ($185.5 million), AGM-88B HARMs ($147.5 million), SM2-IIIA ($125 million); torpedoes - lightweight ($175 million), heavyweight ($250 million); electronic upgrades ($80 million)
Congress
- H.R.2479 - Taiwan Relations Act, April 1979.
- Congressional Research Service reports
- Taiwan: Issues for Congress, October 2017
- Taiwan: Major U.S. Arms Sales Since 1990, August 2014
Other Forum resource pages or publications by Forum-listed experts
- Trevor Thrall +, "Selling F-16s to Taiwan Is Bad Business," Defense One, September 17, 2019.
- Notification Tracker and spreadsheet - Major arms sales notifications to the U.S. Congress via the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program