Ukraine war: US lawmakers want to cut military aid for Kyiv, extend it to Taiwan

Some lawmakers in the US Congress want to cut military aid for war-ravaged Ukraine and want to extend it to Taiwan which is at a risk of military aggression from China. According to a report by the news agency Associated Press on Sunday (Oct 8), Republican Mike Collins voted against providing military aid to Ukraine and advocated for doing more to arm Taiwan.

Collins and other Republican lawmakers have pointed out that China is watching closely to see if the US has the political stamina to support an ally (in this case Taiwan) in a prolonged, costly war. The report said that Washington's aid to Ukraine led to weapons manufacturers stepping up production — something that could benefit Taiwan in a clash with China.

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Ukraine's victory existential for Taiwan: Taipei

Taiwan has been careful not to weigh in on the US debate about continued funding for Ukraine. On being asked about Congress removing Ukraine funding from temporary spending measures which prevented a US government shutdown, Taiwan said it was grateful to have strong bipartisan support from Washington.

"We will continue to work with the US to maintain the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait,” the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office told the Associated Press.

Taiwan has been the thorniest issue in the US-China relationship. China claims sovereignty over the island and vows to seize it by force if necessary to achieve natural reunification. The US, however, wants a peaceful resolution and has a security pact with the island, supplying it with military hardware and technologies to prevent any forced takeover by China.

US President Joe Biden has said that he would send troops to defend Taiwan in case of a war. On the other hand, his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping has demanded that Washington respects Beijing's “sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

China extends probe into Taiwan's trade barriers

Meanwhile, China on Monday extended by three months an investigation into what it calls Taiwan's trade barriers against it. The investigation was first announced in April, but it has now been extended to January 12, a day before Taiwan's presidential and parliamentary elections.

Reacting to the extension, Taipei said that Beijing's so-called "trade investigation is politically motivated and an attempt to interfere with our elections with economic coercion."

It also said that extending the date to a day before the election highlighted the "political motivations" behind the decision.

(With inputs from agencies)

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