A blow to Sino-US ties

Washington's new arms sale to Taiwan squanders chances for further cooperation in political and economic areas

Despite Beijing's strong protests, the United States has decided to provide weapons worth of $5.852 billion to Taiwan. Washington's announcement that it will upgrade Taiwan's F-16A/B fighters is a serious blow to improving Sino-US relations.

This time, the White House argues that it has exercised self-restraint by merely deciding to upgrade Taiwan's F-16A/Bs. This is intended to mean the US has kept its commitment to both Beijing and Taipei to provide only defensive weapons systems to maintain the balance of military power across the Straits.