China Blindsided, Threatens 'Forceful Measures' After Trump’s US$11B Taiwan Arms Sale | EP

The administration of US President Donald Trump has announced a US$11.1 billion arms sale package to Taipei, the largest of the past decade. Contrary to Beijing’s complaints, the sale was in line with longstanding US policy towards Taiwan, as established by the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act and the 1982 Six Assurances. The new package includes logistical support and a range of weapons, such as High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), Howitzers, Javelin and TOW anti-tank missiles, and ALTIUS-600 and 700M aerial loitering drones. Meanwhile, the latest US National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) sets aside up to US$1 billion in security funding for Taiwan, including for a joint drone and anti-drone program. How would these weapons and initiatives help Taiwan deter a potential Chinese attack? In this episode, we discuss the latest US arms package and NDAA and what they mean for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

*Recorded on December 22, 2025 at 2pm Taiwan Standard Time

Host/Senior Producer: Yin Khvat
Producer: Julien Oeuillet

Our guests:

Guermantes Lailari
- Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR) Visiting Scholar

William Stanton
- Former American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director

Ronan Fu
- Academia Sinica Institute of Political Science Assistant Research Fellow

Chapters:
00:00:00 - Taiwan Boosts Its Defense Capabilities
00:01:53 - US Unveils US$11.1B Arms Sale to Taipei
00:13:48 - Arms Package Increases Taiwan’s Deterrence
00:21:28 - US’ NDAA Includes Taiwan Initiatives




#TaiwanUSRelations #DonaldTrump #LaiChingte #ArmsSale #WeaponsSale #USWeapons #HIMARS #ATACM #Javelin #TOWmissile #Howitzer #Artillery #Missile #Drone #AntiDrone #AntiTank #ALTIUS600 #ALTIUS700M #LoiteringMunitions #UAV #TaiwanMilitary #ChineseMilitary #PeoplesLiberationArmy #PLA #PLANavy #PLAAirForce #TaiwanStrait #TaiwanInvasion #TaiwanBlockade #TaiwanConflict #TaiwanContingency #JointDefense #MutualDefense #DOD #USDefenseDepartment #TaiwanTacticalNetwork #TTN #TeamAwarenessKit #AsymmetricWarfare #MilitaryLogistics #TaiwanRelationsAct #SixAssurances #DSCA #USDefenseSecurityCooperationAgency #USForeignPolicy #USDefensePolicy #Deterrence #TaiwanPlus #TaiwanTalks