Washington Approves First Taiwan Arms Sale Under Trump

By Staff, Agencies

The United States has approved a potential $330 million sale of spare and repair parts for Taiwan’s F-16 and C-130 aircraft — the first arms package announced under President Donald Trump.

The Pentagon said the deal would help Taiwan maintain the operational readiness of its air fleet and strengthen its ability to counter current and future threats.

Taipei welcomed the move, saying the parts will boost air-defense resilience and improve its response to China’s ongoing “gray-zone” pressures.

Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said the sale should take effect within a month and thanked Washington for supporting the island’s self-defense capabilities.

The approval comes amid rising Indo-Pacific tensions and shortly after Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea, which had sparked fears in Taipei of possible US-China trade-offs over Taiwan.

Beijing condemned the sale, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian saying it “seriously violates the One China principle” and declaring China’s strong opposition to the decision.