The US government on Wednesday announced its latest round of arms sales to Taiwan, with eight packages at an estimated combined cost of more than US$11.1 billion. The most expensive item is the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), a long-range precision strike system.
The package includes 82 launch vehicles and 1,203 artillery rockets, as well as 420 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) with a range of up to 300km. Given the Taiwan Strait’s average width of about 180km, this means that if Taiwan were to deploy HIMARS launchers loaded with ATACMS in its western coastal areas, or on its outlying islands even closer to China, it could hit targets in Chinese territory with counterforce strikes. The underlying message of this arms sale is that by providing Taiwan with a large number of long-range strike weapons, the US is forcing China to confront the possibility that should it resort to military action against Taiwan, its own territory and population would also face the threat of war.
Taipei City Councilor Miao Po-ya (苗博雅) earlier this month raised the idea that people might still be required to go to work and attend school during wartime. However, there is one perspective that many have overlooked — if Taiwanese might be unable to work normally during a war, would people in Shanghai be able to do so? After all, widely published and publicly available information shows that Taiwan possesses a number of long-range strike weapons — some with ranges that extend well beyond 300km.
This US arms sale would not only increase Taiwan’s weapons inventory at the tactical level, but sends a strategic signal. It gives Taiwan the ability to consider extending its operational range into Chinese territory for self-defense.
Huang Wei-ping works in public service.
Translated by Kyra Gustavsen
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