© Reuters. Michael McCaul, Chairman of the US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, who is leading a delegation of US lawmakers visiting Taiwan, speaks during a press conference at parliament in Taipei, Taiwan, on April 7, 2023. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins
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TAIPEI (Reuters) – A senior U.S. lawmaker pledged on Saturday to help provide training for Taiwan’s armed forces and expedite the delivery of weapons, as China begins three days of military exercises on the island that Beijing claims as its territory.
China announced the drills the day after Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen returned to Taipei from Los Angeles, where she met with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, angering Beijing.
Speaking at a luncheon in Taipei hosted by Tsai for her bipartisan delegation, Michael McCaul, chairman of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee, said they were there with strong support for Taiwan and it was important that the democracies held together.
“As chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, I sign off on all foreign military sales, including weapons to Taiwan, and I promise you, Madam Speaker, that we will deliver those weapons,” he said.
Since last year, Taiwan has complained about delays in deliveries of US weapons, such as Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, as manufacturers send supplies to Ukraine to support its defense against Russia.
“We are doing everything we can in Congress to expedite these sales and get them the weapons they need to fight back,” said McCaul, a Republican.
“And we will provide training for your military, not for war, but for peace,” he added, without elaborating. “Projecting weakness only invites aggression and conflict. Projecting strength provides deterrence and promotes peace.”
Although a defense pact between Taiwan and the United States ended in 1979 when Washington severed formal diplomatic ties in favor of Beijing, a close military relationship endures and the United States is Taiwan’s main foreign source of arms.
The United States has long offered some degree of weapons systems training, as well as detailed advice on ways to strengthen its military to guard against an invasion by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army.
Some Taiwanese fighter pilots already train in the United States.
The United States is ready to expand the number of troops helping train Taiwanese forces, two US officials told Reuters in February.
Reuters reported in 2021 that a small number of US special operations forces have been rotating in Taiwan on a temporary basis to train their forces.
China describes Taiwan as the most sensitive and important issue in its relations with the United States, and the issue is a constant source of friction between Beijing and Washington.