The Trump administration has agreed to sell $330 million worth of spare parts to the Republic of China. The spares will support the RoC’s F-16s, C-130s, and other of the island nation’s military aircraft.
It’s a start. However, we need to do more. We should be selling uprated F1-16s, F-15s, and A-10s to them. We should be selling missile defense systems to them and brokering deals between the RoC and Israel for the latter’s Iron Dome and Arrow missile and rocket defense systems. We should be selling the RoC anti-ship and anti-aircraft weapons systems. We should be selling them land-attack cruise missile systems.
We should be selling the RoC the training necessary to maintain and operate those systems.
We should be helping the RoC defend itself against an increasingly aggressive and acquisitive People’s Republic of China.