The Blubber

US troops in Taiwan ‘on the table’ if China invades, House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Representative Michael McCaul has said.

“Now there’s a political debate here, the two different parties. One party wants to talk to China. President Tsai’s party does not want to be a part of China,” he told NBC News’ Chuck Todd on “Meet the Press.”

“I think the next elections in next January are going to be extremely important because I do believe with the former President Ma in China right now, China’s going to try to influence this next election and take over the island without a shot fired.”

“They’re not where they need to be,” he said. “If we’re going to have deterrence for peace, we need to get these weapons into Taiwan.”

In December, it was announced Taiwan can now buy anti-tank systems from the United States while China is ramping up its military, diplomatic, and economic pressure on the country. The Pentagon announced that they approved the possible sale of Volcano anti-tank mine-laying systems.

The U.S. State Department gave the authorization of a possible sale of the systems to Taiwan. This comes as U.S. law requires that the Congress be notified by the executive branch regarding arms sales that extend over a particular amount.

The approval comes just a few weeks after the U.S. Congress released the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act's final version, per Focus Taiwan. The Act provided Taiwan with assistance and terms that would allow them to strengthen its military.

Read more: https://unusualwhales.com/news/taiwan-could-buy-anti-tank-systems-from-the-u-s-for-180-million-after-t