TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — United States President Joe Biden wants to use a budget request for Ukraine to fund weapons supplies to Taiwan, the Financial Times reported Wednesday (Aug. 2).
If Congress approves the request after the White House submits it this month, it would be the first time Taiwan would receive weapons under a taxpayer-funded system called “foreign military financing” (FMF), the report said.
In July, the U.S. announced an arms package worth NT$11 billion (US$345 million) for Taiwan amid concerns about China’s rising military threat. Members of Congress have called on the Biden administration to step up arms deliveries as a deterrent measure.
Analysts see the eventual use of the FMF formula as a major step forward. The funding for Taiwan would be included in a supplemental budget request for Ukraine.
While the latter had been opposed by a group of Republican members of Congress, adding Taiwan to the proposal could win them over, as most of them support the country’s defense against China, the Financial Times reported. The size of the funding for Taiwan has not been revealed, according to the report.