Amidst ongoing disagreements between the US and Taiwan regarding arms sales, it has been revealed that President Biden once contemplated discontinuing the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Taiwan.
According to a report by Taiwan’s United News Network on August 23, Rupert Hammond-Chambers, the President of the US-Taiwan Business Council, disclosed that the Biden administration considered canceling the planned sale of 66 F-16V fighter jets to Taiwan last year. This move was aimed at reallocating Taiwan’s defense budget towards “asymmetric weapons.” However, the legal complexities of canceling an already approved arms sales deal deterred this action.
Both US and Taiwanese authorities had previously confirmed delays in delivering the F-16V jets. This is the first indication that the Biden administration contemplated terminating the entire F-16 program.
Hammond-Chambers noted that the US has consistently advocated for Taiwan’s defense capabilities to mainly focus on “asymmetric warfare”. For this reason, certain arms sales to Taiwan, including the 66 F-16V fighter jets, were considered for cancellation. But due to high legal barriers, the arms deal was retained. The US had previously opposed Taiwan’s procurement of M-109A6 self-propelled artillery and MQ-9 drones, citing “asymmetric warfare” as the reason.
Hammond-Chambers further stated that US military aid to Taiwan currently remains focused solely on ammunition and weapons system maintenance. He suggested that the US should not limit military sales to Taiwan based solely on “asymmetric warfare.” Instead, there should be broader considerations, including potential comprehensive blockades faced by Taiwan, necessitating the provision of essential systems and ammunition.
On the same day, August 23, the US approved the sale of an “Infra-Red Search and Track System” (IRST), an optical detection device installed on F-16V jets that can detect stealth aircraft. Hammond-Chambers mentioned that the decision to sell the IRST signifies a move to provide Taiwan with capabilities beyond just “asymmetric warfare”. This could also hint at the Biden administration’s evolving stance on enhancing its security support for Taiwan.
In 2019, the US State Department approved the sale of 66 F-16V jets to Taiwan. Subsequently, in 2020, the Taiwanese military budgeted approximately 80 billion USD for this procurement. While the F-16Vs were initially scheduled for delivery this year, the US indicated that complex developmental challenges would cause delays. Taiwan’s military then announced that due to software development setbacks, the delivery would be postponed until mid-2024, with a current goal of completion by 2026. Moreover, a Washington Post report in March stated that even if the F-16Vs are delivered as planned, Taiwan still faces a shortage of pilots. With the current progress, Taiwan needs an additional 100 pilots, and training a competent F-16 pilot requires five years.
Regarding US arms sales to Taiwan, on August 17, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying commented that reunification with Taiwan remains a common desire among the Chinese people. No matter how much military equipment the US provides to Taiwan, it will not alter the trajectory of cross-strait relations nor hinder China’s unification process.
Hua Chunying urged the US to recognize the sensitivity and potential harm of arms sales to Taiwan. She emphasized that China expects the US to adhere to the One-China policy and the provisions of the three US-China joint communiqués, cease official US-Taiwan interactions and military contacts, halt arms sales to Taiwan, and oppose Taiwan independence movements to prevent further damage to US-China relations and peace in the Taiwan Strait.
