A committee of the United States Senate approved this Wednesday the Taiwan Policy Bill, which considerably expands the military aid that the North American country provides to that Asian territory, at a time of great tension with China over the sovereignty of the island.
By 17 votes in favor and only 5 against, the committee carried out the measure, which will now be transferred to the plenary session and, if approved, would increase by billions of dollars the aid that the US sends to Taiwan in terms of security, among other things.
Just last week, China condemned the sale of a $1.1 billion US military aid package to Taiwan announced last Friday and promised "countermeasures" for "defend its sovereignty and security interests".
According to Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Mao Ning at a press conference, "The United States brazenly violates" the agreements that it reached with Beijing on behalf of Taiwan with this arms sale, which "undermines peace and stability across the Strait".
This policy means that the only Chinese government that Washington must recognize is the one based in Beijing, which distances it from Taiwan’s independence aspirations.
But military aid, according to the United States, complies with this principle and alleges that it also has a commitment to the island to provide military aid, although without making it clear whether it would intervene in the event of a Chinese attack, a policy dubbed "strategic ambiguity".
The United States and China are experiencing a moment of particular tension accentuated by the recent visit to Taiwan by the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi.
The trip deeply angered the Chinese government, which responded with economic sanctions and the announcement of military exercises in the waters surrounding Taiwan.
China claims sovereignty over the island and has considered Taiwan a rebellious province since the Kuomintang nationalists withdrew there in 1949 after losing the civil war against the communists.
