The Biden Government's approval of a possible US$100 million deal to Taiwan to support the Patriot missile defence system reflected the United States' stand in helping Taipei arm itself against growing military threats from Beijing, Taiwan said on Tuesday.

Taiwan also hailed the approval as part of US commitments to boost the self-ruled island's defence and security as tension in the Taiwan Strait mounted.

The US government announced on Monday the approval of possible US$100 million sale of equipment and services to Taiwan to "sustain, maintain, and improve" the Patriot system - a deal certain to further infuriate Beijing, which sees Taiwan as its territory that must be taken in control, by force if necessary.

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

In a statement, the Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) under the Pentagon said it notified Congress of the deal on Monday after it was approved by the State Department.

The deal includes equipment and services to support participation in the Patriot International Engineering Services Programme and Field Surveillance Programme for five years, including engineering aid for upkeep and improvements to the Patriot Air Defence System, it said.

It also includes support for legacy - guidance enhanced missile (GEM) and Patriot advanced capability-3 (PAC-3) - missiles, designed to ensure the reliability and performance of the Patriot missile as well as testing the reliability of stockpiled weapons, DSCA said.

The package also includes US government and contractor technical and logistics support, and other related programme support, DSCA said, adding that the proposed sale was consistent with US law and policy.

"This proposed sale serves US national, economic, and security interests by supporting the recipient's continuing efforts to modernise its armed forces and to maintain a credible defensive capability," DSCA said.

US House passes the China-focused America Competes Act

It said the proposed sale would help improve Taiwan's security and help maintain "political stability, military balance, economic and progress in the region".

DSCA said the proposed sale would not only help sustain Taiwan's missile density and ensure its readiness for air operations, but would also enable the island to use this capability as a deterrent to regional threats and to strengthen homeland defence.

Raytheon Technologies and Lockheed Martin would be the prime contractors, it said.

DSCA stressed that the proposed sale of this equipment and support would not alter the basic military balance in the region and that there would be no adverse effect on US defence readiness because of the proposed sale.

The island's presidential office, defence and foreign ministries all issued separate statements on Tuesday thanking the Biden administration and hailing the approval as firm support of the island as tensions mounted in the Taiwan Strait.

Xavier Chang, a spokesman of the presidential office, said this would be the second arms sale to Taiwan since US President Joe Biden took office and the first deal this year.

"This fully reflects that the US government has continued to attach great importance to the defence capability of Taiwan and value rock-solid partnership between the two sides," Chang said.

Despite persistent military threats from Beijing, Chang said, the island maintained that it would not be adventuresome, but nor would it bow to pressure and that the island would continue to upgrade its defence capability and deepen its security partnership with like-minded countries to uphold peace and stability in the region.

Beijing has never renounced the use of force against Taiwan. It has stepped up military intimidation against the island and poached Taiwan's allies to ramp up pressure against Taipei since Tsai Ing-wen of the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party was elected president in 2016 and refused to accept the one-China principle.

Taiwan's foreign ministry said the deal was part of the US commitment to help boost the island's security.

The island's defence ministry said the deal, which was expected to come into effect within a month, was made during a 2019 meeting with US officials in the administration of former president Donald Trump.

Washington, which does not have official ties with Taiwan but maintains close relations with the island, has been the biggest arms supplier for Taipei. It has repeatedly asked Taiwan to modernise its military to deter the mainland's threats.

China vows to hit back at US$750 million US arms sale to Taiwan

Rupert Hammond-Chambers, president of the US-Taiwan Business Council, expressed his support for the deal.

"While ongoing force modernisation is essential to combat the growing threat from China, maintenance of Taiwan's existing equipment is similarly crucial," he said in a statement.

Hammond-Chambers said Taipei and Washington "should also seek to integrate Taiwan's missile defence capabilities into America's regional architecture, including cooperation with allies such as Japan and Australia".

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2022 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2022. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.