EXCLUSIVE: Taiwan, Arms Sales, Myth Of “Changed Status Quo”

As Washington and Taipei deepen economic and technological ties through a major new semiconductor trade deal, Beijing is once again insisting that US arms sales to Taiwan amount to a fundamental rupture of the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait. It is a familiar charge, and one that collapses quickly under legal and security scrutiny.

From an international law standpoint, China’s argument is weak. The Taiwan Relations Act, passed by the US Congress in 1979, explicitly obligates the United States to provide Taiwan with defensive weapons. That law remains the backbone of US policy. Bonnie Glaser, one of Washington’s leading foreign policy analysts, told the Wyoming Star:

“The Taiwan Relations Act, Passed by Congress in 1979, obligates the United States to sell defensive weapons to Taiwan. The United States does not recognize Taiwan as part of the PRC. US Army sales to Taiwan are not a violation of international law.”