US President Joe Biden recently approved one of Washington's largest-ever military aid packages for Taiwan, comprising $567 million (€517 million) worth of defense aid.
The aid will be provided via the "Presidential Drawdown Authority" (PDA), which allows for the "speedy delivery of defense articles" from US Department of Defense (DoD) stocks "to respond to foreign crises." The US is already using this process to send military aid to Ukraine.
China considers Taiwan to be its territory, which President Xi Jinping has vowed will one day be "reunited" with the mainland, by using force if necessary. Beijing has been increasing pressure on the self-ruled island, for example, by demonstrating force with regular military exercises in the Taiwan Strait.
Although it doesn't maintain official diplomatic relations with Taipei, the US is Taiwan's largest security benefactor. China considers any military support of Taiwan to be a provocation.
The White House has said its goal in supporting Taiwan's self-defense is to "continue to maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait."
With the US presidential election coming up in November, Chinese pressure on Taiwan is set to be a challenge for the incoming president, whether it be Democrat Kamala Harris, or Republican Donald Trump.
Joseph Bosco, a former Pentagon official on China policy, told DW that "we don't know exactly how [a new] administration will treat Taiwan."
He added the Biden administration was therefore "trying to accelerate the transfer of resources as much as possible during this........