Arms sales inflame relations with China which trades off with climate change negotiations and further conflict

A. Trevor Thrall, Jordan B. Cohen, and Michael Klare, Cohen is a Ph.D. candidate at George mason University and Klare is professor emeritus of peace and world security studies at Hampshire College and is a senior visiting fellow at the Arms Control Association. "New arms sales send the wrong signal on Taiwan," Defense News, 8-17-2021, https://www.defensenews.com/opinion/commentary/2021/08/17/new-arms-sales-send-the-wrong-signal-on-taiwan/-- 嘉玮

The Biden administration recently approved its first arms sale to Taiwan for $750 million worth of howitzers and high-tech munitions kits. Proponents incorrectly argue that this sale will enhance stability in the region by sending a strong signal to China of America’s commitment to Taiwan’s security and by complicating any Chinese plans for an invasion of the island. In fact, the sale will accomplish nothing of the sort. To avoid enflaming tensions in the Taiwan Strait, the U.S. needs to halt sales of weapons to Taiwan.

This sale will not allow Taiwan to better defend itself in any clash with China. It will, however, tell Taiwan that it’s OK to keep passing the buck to the United States for its defense. Moreover, a new sale of arms at this time is sure to inflame tensions between Beijing and Washington, increasing the risk of conflict and making it more difficult to make progress on issues of mutual concern, such as climate change, trade and nuclear nonproliferation.