TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Thursday (Aug. 31) thanked Washington for approving military aid under the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) program usually reserved for sovereign "nations" and "countries."
The U.S. State Department on Wednesday notified Congress of the military transfer of materials that will be used to "strengthen Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities through joint and combined defense capability and enhanced maritime domain awareness and maritime security capability, reported AP. The US$80 million in military aid is significant because it is supplied to Taiwan for the first time via FMF.
MOFA Spokesperson Jeff Liu (劉永健) told Taiwan News that his ministry was grateful to the U.S. government for "continuing to implement its security commitments to Taiwan in accordance with the Taiwan Relations Act and the Six Assurances." Liu said the U.S. and like-minded countries have continued to emphasize that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are indispensable elements for regional and global security and prosperity.
Liu said that Taiwan and the U.S. will continue to deepen their close security partnership. "As a responsible member of the international community, Taiwan will continue to work with like-minded countries to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region, and jointly defend the rules-based international order."
As for the detailed contents of the arms aid package, Liu said the ministry does not wish to comment at this time.