U.S. Backs F-16 Sale to Taiwan in Move Likely to Anger China
The Trump administration has informally told Congress that it supports a potential sale of F-16 fighter jets to Taiwan, a move that will likely anger China at a key moment in trade talks with the U.S.
The State Department has informally told key House and Senate committees that it supports the $8 billion sale of 66 F-16s, according to two congressional aides with knowledge of the decision. Even with Congressional support, it will be years before any of the Lockheed Martin Corp. jets are delivered, assuming Taiwan signs an actual contract.
It’s unclear whether the administration’s support for the sale will be used as a bargaining chip in the still-fluid trade talks with Beijing or whether it represents additional support for a government long seen as a bulwark against Chinese expansion in the Asia-Pacific region. China has long protested U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, which it views as part of its territory.
The U.S., wary of antagonizing China, hasn’t sold advanced fighter jets since then-President George H.W. Bush announced the sale of 150 F-16s to Taiwan in 1992. The Obama administration rejected a similar Taiwanese request for new jets, agreeing in 2011 to upgrade the island’s existing fleet.
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