The Trump Administration is in the process of selling weaponry worth more than $7 billion to Taiwan, according to press reports. The sales will include cruise missiles, drones, and mines. While such sales have occurred continually during the years since the beginning of the U.S. relationship with the People’s Republic of China, and have always been met by protests from China, the new slew of weapons really “pushes the envelope.”
In addition to the sales, the U.S. sent Undersecretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment Keith Krach to Taiwan to discuss economic cooperation. This is the second high-level visit of a U.S. administration official since the visit of HHS Secretary Alex Azar last month, breaking with the protocol governing Taiwan in the three communiqués signed by the U.S. and China decades ago. While in Taiwan, Krach will also attend a memorial for Lee Teng-hui, the former KMT president of Taiwan, who died in July. According to some KMT members, Lee was responsible for the emergence of the independence-minded Democratic People’s Party, and the election of Chen Shui-bian, the first DPP leader to take the lead in Taiwan. Lee was also close to Japan.
