Taiwan expressed satisfaction with the long-awaited aid packages from the US

Taiwan has expressed satisfaction with aid packages approved by the US Congress that include arms support for the island, amid calls by China for Washington to stop selling arms to Taipei, Reuters reported.
The US is Taiwan’s most important international supporter and arms supplier despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties. China, which views Taiwan as its territory, has repeatedly demanded that arms sales stop.
US senators approved by a 79-18 vote four bills passed by the House of Representatives on Saturday after House Republican leaders abruptly reversed course last week and voted to release $95 billion in mostly military aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, as well as and for US partners in the Indo-Pacific region.
In a meeting with visiting US lawmakers at the presidential office in Taipei, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen celebrated the passage of the bills over the weekend. “We are also very happy that the Senate recently passed these bills,” Tsai said.
China claims that the Taiwanese government’s rejection of Beijing’s sovereignty claims is entirely an internal matter, but at the same time it is the most sensitive and important issue in relations with the US.
Taiwan Affairs Bureau in Beijing, expressed anger at the bills that President Joe Biden said he would sign. The bills “send the wrong signal to Taiwan independence separatist forces, and we are strongly against it,” Taiwan Affairs Bureau spokeswoman Zhu Fengliang told reporters.
“We call on the US to take concrete action to fulfill its commitment not to support Taiwan’s independence and to stop giving it weapons in any way,” the spokeswoman added. “This will only increase tensions and the risk of conflict and confrontation in the Taiwan Strait,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said.
Over the past four years, Taiwan has complained about increased Chinese military activity near the island, including near-daily missions by Chinese military aircraft and ships.
Taiwan’s defense ministry said on Sunday it would discuss with the US how to use the new funding. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken arrived today on a visit to China, with the island likely to be one of the topics of discussion.
Since 2022, Taiwan has complained of delays in supplies of US weapons such as Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, as manufacturers have focused on supplies to Ukraine to help the country fight off invading Russian forces.