China has threatened tougher military action around Taiwan and intensified combat training after the US announced its largest-ever arms package for the self-governed island, escalating tensions across one of Asia’s most dangerous flashpoints.
China’s defence ministry said the People’s Liberation Army would increase training and “take forceful measures” to defend what it calls national sovereignty, after Washington unveiled a planned $11.1bn (£8.8bn) weapons sale to Taiwan.
Beijing condemned the move as a direct challenge, saying it had lodged “stern representations” with the US, demanding an immediate halt to arms supplies to the island.
“The ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces, at the cost of the safety and well-being of Taiwan compatriots, use the hard-earned money of ordinary people to fatten US arms dealers in an attempt to ‘seek independence by relying on military force’,” the ministry said.
It warned the US that by backing Taipei, it was “bound to get burned itself”.
The ministry added: “The Chinese People’s Liberation Army will continue to strengthen training and combat readiness, take strong measures to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and resolutely frustrate attempts at ‘Taiwan independence’ separatism and external interference.”
The unusually blunt language underscores how Beijing increasingly frames US support for Taiwan as a provocation that could justify military escalation.
China has never ruled out using force to seize the island and regularly conducts large-scale air and naval drills near Taiwan, which many analysts view as rehearsals for a blockade or invasion.
The US arms package, announced by the Trump administration on Wednesday, covers eight categories of weapons and equipment, including Himars rocket systems, howitzers, Javelin anti-tank missiles, Altius loitering munition drones and spare parts.
Himars – High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems – are precision-guided launchers manufactured by Lockheed Martin and used extensively by Ukraine against Russian forces.
Washington has formal diplomatic relations with Beijing but is bound by US law, including the Taiwan Relations Act, to help Taiwan maintain the means to defend itself.
The White House says the sales are intended to deter conflict, not provoke it. The Pentagon said the package supports US national, economic and security interests by helping Taiwan modernise its armed forces and preserve a “credible defensive capability”.
The deal still requires approval from Congress, where backing for Taiwan is strong across party lines.
President Donald Trump on Thursday also signed into law a nearly $1 trillion annual defence policy bill, which fully funds the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative at $1bn and authorises continued US military training support for the island.
Taipei’s defence ministry welcomed those provisions, saying they would strengthen combat capabilities and help ensure peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait – the narrow body of water separating Taiwan from mainland China.
Taiwan’s democratically elected government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims and says only its people can decide their future.
Lai Ching-te, the island’s president, has been branded a “separatist” by Beijing, which has rebuffed repeated offers of talks. His government has accelerated defence reforms aimed at “asymmetric warfare” – relying on mobile, survivable systems such as missiles and drones to offset China’s numerical advantage.
“Our country will continue to promote defence reforms, strengthen whole-of-society defence resilience, demonstrate our determination to defend ourselves, and safeguard peace through strength,” said Karen Kuo, a spokesperson for the presidential office, thanking Washington for the weapons sales.
Mr Lai last month announced a $40bn supplementary defence budget covering 2026 to 2033, saying there was “no room for compromise on national security”.
China’s foreign ministry echoed the defence ministry’s anger, condemning provisions in the US defence bill as exaggerating threats from Beijing. Guo Jiakun, a ministry spokesperson, said China was “strongly dissatisfied and firmly opposed” and would take “resolute measures” to defend its interests.
In a separate statement on the arms sale, Mr Guo said: “By aiding ‘Taiwan independence’ with weapons, the US side will only bring fire upon itself; using Taiwan to contain China is absolutely doomed to fail.”
The announcement followed an unpublicised visit by Taiwan’s foreign minister, Lin Chia-lung, to the Washington area last week to meet US officials, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Some regional allies had feared US support for Taiwan might weaken under Mr Trump, who is planning a meeting with China’s leader, Xi Jinping, next year.
US officials have sought to counter those concerns, saying they intend to raise weapons sales to Taipei beyond levels seen during Mr Trump’s first term. The administration’s new national security strategy explicitly commits to deterring conflict over Taiwan by “preserving military overmatch” against China, language welcomed in Taipei.
The document highlights Taiwan’s strategic position between north-east and south-east Asia.
Rupert Hammond-Chambers, president of the US–Taiwan Business Council, said systems such as Himars could be crucial in destroying an invading Chinese force.
“This bundle of congressional notifications, a record in US security assistance for Taiwan, is a response to the threat from China and the demand from Mr Trump that partners and allies do more to secure their own defence,” he said.
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