US House passes defence spending Bill in Taiwan aid, China bristles

The US House of Representatives passed a defence spending bill that includes up to $10 billion in military grant assistance for Taiwan and seeks to expedite arms sales to the island, drawing a rebuke from Beijing.

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2023 — which still requires Senate passage and the signature of President Joe Biden to become law — would authorize grant assistance for Taiwan of up to $2 billion per year from 2023 through 2027.

The act also authorises Biden to provide Taiwan with up to $1 billion per year in defence items from US stockpiles, or other services such as military training.

And it requires the secretaries of State and Defense to “prioritise and expedite the processing of requests from Taiwan under the Foreign Military Sales program.”

Beijing was "firmly opposed to the US using the National Defense Authoriza-tion Act to pass negative content related to China," Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said after the bill was passed.

Beijing claims Taiwan as part of its territory — to be reunited one day by force, if necessary — and has become more bellicose toward the island under President Xi.