US OKs military aid to Taiwan under program usually reserved for sovereign nations

The Biden administration has approved the first-ever U.S. military transfer to Taiwan under a program generally reserved for assistance to sovereign, independent states. The State Department notified Congress of the sale on Wednesday. The package is modest at only $80 million, but the implications of using the so-called Foreign Military Financing program to provide it will likely infuriate China. Beijing, which regards Taiwan as a renegade province, has repeatedly not ruled out the use of force to reunite it with the mainland, and also vociferously protests all U.S. arms sales to the self-governing island. However, previous arms sales to Taiwan have been approved under other authorities that do not necessarily imply statehood.