Trump administration crafting big new arms sales to Taiwan - sources

[bathroommonkey76]

Source: Reuters

The Trump administration is crafting a big new arms package for Taiwan that could include advanced rocket systems and anti-ship missiles to defend against China, U.S. officials said, a deal sure to anger Beijing.

The package is expected to be significantly larger than one that was shelved at the end of the Obama administration, the officials told Reuters on the eve of a visit to Beijing by U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

"The political desire is there to do a substantial sale," one administration official said, adding that internal deliberations had begun on a deal "that's much stronger, much more significant than the one that was not accepted by the Obama people."

President Donald Trump's administration is eager to proceed with the sales, but it is expected to take months and possibly into next year for the White House to overcome obstacles, including concern that Beijing's sensitivities over Taiwan could make it harder to secure cooperation on priorities such as reining in North Korea, the official said.

Read more: http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-usa-taiwan-arms-idUKKBN16O2LY

[Bill USA]

1. SHIT! taking a big risk, with nothing to be gained. DT a very dangerous idiot!

[NurseJackie]

2. He's a very dangerous man. I hope people realize that. He's insane.

[lark]

3. drumpf wants war, and by damn, he's going to get it!

He'll poke, prod, be provocative, and do everything possible so he can use the new military toys he's ordered and win a war. He's such a moron, he thinks that he'll win, just because he says so. He doesn't care about the cost, either in our military lives or in the heavy costs of going to war on a different continent. I just hope someone gets him to realize that nukes aren't toys and shouldn't even be considered, since that is what he wants to do, use them. He's such an idiot, he has no idea of the total destruction of our country this would cause.

[red dog 1]

11. + 1

[FiveGoodMen]

4. China's going to love that!

At least they don't have any nukes ... ... right?

[kimbutgar]

5. Boy, he's giving China the big middle finger

Wonder how that's going to go over?

[Oneironaut]

6. Actually, not uncommon. Obama did it too. So did Clinton and Bush.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_US_arms_sales_to_Taiwan

Interesting fact: we started selling military assets to Taiwan under Jimmy Carter. We have a tepid defense pact with them.

Further reading: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwan_Relations_Act

Enjoy!

[Lurks Often]

9. Shhh, didn't you get the memo that facts are irrelevent now?

[paleotn]

12. How so?

Yes, we sell arms to Taiwan, but coming just after shit stain's criticism of China for supposedly "not doing enough" about the PRK, Tillerson not so subtly telegraphing war on their border, shit stain's pre-inauguration call with Taiwan's President and Bannon's fetish about war with China, one can only see this as a ham handed political move. Post WTO, these things have been kept relatively quiet...until now.

Get nuance? Or is that too deep for you.

[Lurks Often]

15. That's YOUR interpretation of events

Doesn't mean you're right or even worth responding to any further.

Or is that too deep for you?

[C Moon]

7. Trying to set up WWIII, as a last ditch effort to keep his fat ass in office.

[KewlKat]

8. Which member of the drumpf coven will benefit by this deal?

Do we have any arms dealers in the bunch? or stockholders?

FOLLOW THE MONEY........the Con is gonna get WW3 sooner than he thinks.....trying to get all his loans forgiven from China and repossess their american holdings?

[paleotn]

10. Not uncommon....

...but the timing absolutely sucks after shit stain's North Korea / China crack.

[red dog 1]

13. Drumpf, on behalf of the Military-Industrial-Complex, wants war...period!

Raytheon, Boeing, Lockheed-Martin & the others are ecstatic!

He's "their boy" and he's doing their bidding.

Is he aware of the fact that China has a standing army of more than 100 million soldiers?

He's risking a thermo-nuclear war with China, and he doesn't care...He's insane!

[Politicub]

14. The cuban missle crisis. Think about

how the US reacted when Russia put missiles in Cuba.

Now, the US is becoming Russia and Taiwan is our Cuba.

This news chills me to the bone.

[mr_lebowski]

16. We maybe shouldn't be too hyperbolic here ... these aren't nuclear missiles ttbomk ...

Bit of a difference.

Just sayin' ...