The Taiwanese legislature passed a special budget on Tuesday authorizing funding for the autonomous island’s controversial purchase of dozens of F-16V Viper fighter jets from the US.
Money for Taiwan’s $8 billion purchase of 66 Viper fighter jets was set aside on Tuesday via a special budget bill passed by the Yuan, the island’s legislature. The bill provides a legal basis for dispensing funds on the deal until the end of 2026, according to Channel News Asia link.
The US State and Defense Departments approved link the sale in late August amid protest from Beijing, which considers the Taiwan government illegitimate and the island to be a breakaway province of China. By contrast, the government of Taiwan, formally called the Republic of China, believes it’s the only legitimate government of China and that its power on the mainland was usurped by the communist Red Army in 1949 when the People’s Republic was formed. Beijing celebrated the 70th anniversary of that event at the beginning of the month.
The US had steady relations with the Republican government before the communist victory, and Washington continued that relationship for decades after, only switching diplomatic recognition to the PRC in Beijing once it became advantageous to do so in the late 1970s.
Despite this, the US has continued an informal relationship with the Taipei government, funneling them outdated weapons and money in a bid to keep the island out of Beijing’s hands.