Why is the US arming Taiwan?

Washington approves millions in arms packages to protect diplomatic ally, despite fury from China

Photo-montage of soldiers with surface-to-air missiles
The US is aiming to maintain a balance of power in the Indo-Pacific
(Image credit: Illustrated / Getty Images)

The US is breaking with precedent to arm Taiwan "to the teeth" in order to help the island defend itself from the threat of China's far-superior military, said the BBC's said Rupert Wingfield-Hayes.

President Joe Biden has approved an $80 million (£64.6 million) grant to Taiwan for the purchase of American military equipment, amid increasing aggression from Beijing in the South China Sea. 

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Harriet Marsden is a writer for The Week, mostly covering UK and global news and politics. Before joining the site, she was a freelance journalist for seven years, specialising in social affairs, gender equality and culture. She worked for The Guardian, The Times and The Independent, and regularly contributed articles to The Sunday Times, The Telegraph, The New Statesman, Tortoise Media and Metro, as well as appearing on BBC Radio London, Times Radio and “Woman’s Hour”. She has a master’s in international journalism from City University, London, and was awarded the "journalist-at-large" fellowship by the Local Trust charity in 2021.