In conflict with China, the United States delivers, for the first time in thirty years, a batch of tanks to Taiwan

All eyes are turning once again to the island of Taiwan, stuck between two powers whose conflict is growing. While the military pressure exerted by China does not weaken – as evidenced by the hundreds of aircraft and dozens of ships that were deployed near the Taiwanese coast by Beijing in early December – the United States decided to respond.

For the first time in thirty years, the United States administration dispatched 38 combat tanks, of the Abrams model, to Taiwanese territory. The motivation is clear: to strengthen its military capabilities in the face of a possible attack from China. The M1A2 Abrams arrived in Taiwan late Sunday, December 15, and were transferred to an army training base in Hsinchu, south of the capital Taipei, the Defense Ministry said.

Washington, main arms supplier to Taiwan

The Taiwanese government placed an order for 108 units in 2019, worth more than $1.2 billion. The rest of the tanks must be delivered in 2025 and 2026. Washington thus confirms its status as the main arms supplier to the island, which is increasingly threatened by China. An alliance which continues to arouse the anger of Beijing, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory.

The Taiwanese army currently has 1,000 tanks, produced locally like the CM Brave Tiger, or of American design like the M60A3, the technology of which tends to become obsolete. In early November, Taiwan received its first batch of American HIMARS multiple rocket launchers, already used by Ukraine in its conflict against Russia.

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs also urged, Monday, December 16, the United States to “stop arming Taiwan (…) and to support the Taiwanese independence forces”.

$19 billion allocated to island defense in 2024

Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian denounced “the attempt of Taiwanese authorities to seek independence through force and foreign aid”according to him “doomed to fail”. He then clarified that “China will firmly defend its national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity”.

Over the past five decades, the United States has sold billions of dollars worth of military equipment and munitions to Taiwan, including F-16 fighter jets and warships. While Donald Trump is due to take the helm of the White House in January 2025, Washington’s future strategy will be scrutinized.

For the moment, the United States maintains its historic position on the Taiwan question: namely, maintaining a policy of “strategic ambiguity” regarding possible American military intervention if the island were attacked frontally by China. In the meantime, Taipei continues to allocate more and more money to the defense of its territory. While the Taiwanese government has already devoted a record budget of $19 billion to it in 2024, the latter is expected to reach a new peak in 2025.