US’s Massive Defense Bill Includes Support for Taiwan

The United States will soon provide Taiwan with billions of dollars in military funding, rapid arms sales and increased military coordination as Communist China puts pressure on the democratically governed island.

The Senate included much of the extensive Taiwan Policy Act of 2022 in the $817 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which begins debate on Tuesday. The Taiwanese legislation was approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in September, sparking outrage from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) government.

China considers Taiwan its territory and has never given up the use of force to incorporate it into its territory. It is unclear which Taiwan provisions will be included in the final version of the NDAA, but senators and Senate aides say many of the provisions could become law if the NDAA passes as expected this year.

The Taiwan bill includes $6.5 billion in grant aid over five years to strengthen Taiwan’s military capabilities and authorizes up to $2 billion in loans.

The grants will depend on Taiwan increasing its own defense spending, and given that U.S. military planners want to see Taiwan prioritize mobile devices that can better survive a Chinese attack over larger systems, that could make Washington gain additional leverage in Taiwan’s defense procurement.