Republican Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley introduced the Taiwan Weapons Exports Act on Apr. 7 to accelerate the exchange of Surface-To-Air missiles from America to Taiwan.
Following the $95 million deal for American-made Patriot Air Defense Systems, China launched a new round of threats against Taiwanese sovereignty, spurring Hawley to “fast-track delivery of critical weapons” by eliminating administrative red tape, the senator said in a press release.
“In true form, CCP goons respond to any attempt to protect Taiwan from invasion with violent threats and prevarications,” said Hawley, according to the Washington Free Beacon.
To add to China’s concerns, the Taiwanese Weapons Exports Act would assign Taiwan as a member of Country Group A:5, essentially equating Taiwan to a NATO member-state, the Washington Free Beacon reported. (RELATED: Taiwan Issues War Survival Handbook Amid Fears Of Chinese Invasion)
The Global Times, a Chinese State-affiliated media, equated the sale of the Patriot systems to attaching an explosive to every Taiwanese compatriot before talking about America’s betrayal of the One China Policy.
Threats have also been made against Taiwan and America due to Nancy Pelosi’s planned visit to Taiwan before moving on to Japan last weekend, reported Yahoo News.
“If the United States insists on having its own way, China will take strong measures in response to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian, according to Reuters.
Our gratitude to @HawleyMO for introducing the #Taiwan🇹🇼 Weapons Exports Act. The legislation spotlights the #US🇺🇸 senator’s rock-solid commitment to #StandWithTaiwan, & is another vote of congressional confidence in our country & its 23.5 million people. https://t.co/PqTU2w2vHK
— 外交部 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ROC (Taiwan) 🇹🇼 (@MOFA_Taiwan) April 10, 2022
The U.S. Government will continue to support Taiwanese defense with the bill, also shortening the time needed to approve deals similar to the Patriot weapon systems deal.