WASHINGTON:
Even though the Biden administration has declined to publicly reveal information on the arms in the package, the United States on Friday unveiled a $345 million weapons aid package for Taiwan, which is sure to infuriate China.

Since Taiwan fiercely rejects Chinese sovereignty claims, Congress authorized up to $1 billion in Presidential Drawdown Authority arms aid for Taiwan in the 2023 budget. As Taiwan’s primary source of arms, the United States has been under persistent pressure from Beijing to stop supplying the island with military hardware.
Four sources have told Reuters that four unarmed MQ-9A reconnaissance drones are part of the package, but that this could change if officials can’t figure out how to get some of the sensitive equipment off the drones.
The notification did not specify which military systems will be supplied.
After thanking the United States for its “firm security commitment,” Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense issued a statement saying it would not comment on the specifics of the package because of a “tacit agreement” between the two countries.
One of the people briefed on the situation earlier mentioned that who would pay for the modifications to the drones was one of the difficulties that could complicate their inclusion. Reuters was unable to confirm or deny whether or not the drones were still included.
Four sophisticated General Atomics MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones were already agreed upon by Taiwan, with delivery expected in 2025.
Over the past three years, China has ramped up military pressure on Taiwan, which is controlled by a democratically elected government, in the belief that the island is legally part of China. It has always relied on military might to subjugate the island. Taiwan categorically denies China’s sovereignty claims and asserts that the island’s future is entirely within the hands of Taiwanese citizens.
On May 16, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told a Senate committee, “I’m pleased that the United States will soon provide significant additional security assistance to Taiwan through the Presidential Drawdown Authority that Congress authorized last year.”
The highest-ranking American military officer recently stated that the next several years will see an increase in the rate at which weapons were shipped to Taiwan.
The President has drawn on his emergency power to transfer goods and services from US stockpiles under the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) to speed up security assistance to Ukraine. However, the Taiwan PDA is a regular authority that Congress approved last year.