The Trump administration should expedite the sale of mobile Harpoon anti-ship missile systems to Taiwan.
There are two rationales for accepting Taiwan’s request to buy the weapon. First, it would better enable that democratic nation to deter and defeat Chinese attacks. Second, it would escalate U.S. pressure on China as China escalates its own pressure on America.
Taiwan’s interest in the Harpoon system is quite understandable. A mainstay of the U.S. Navy since the late 1970s, the missile has been upgraded a number of times over the years since its introduction. But while the U.S. military now rightly prioritizes newer long-range anti-ship missiles such as the Naval Strike Missile and the AGM-158C LRASM system, the Harpoon continues to suit Taiwan very well. After all, the Chinese mainland is just over 100 miles from Taiwan. And considering that any Chinese invasion force would need to close with Taiwan’s anti-ship capabilities rather than avoid them entirely, the Harpoon makes a valuable addition to Taiwan’s existing missile force.
It’s also increasingly clear that Taiwan needs these missiles.
From the South China Sea to its border with India, China’s foreign policy is increasingly aggressive. Taiwan’s success against the coronavirus pandemic has embarrassed Beijing, showing Chinese President Xi Jinping’s system for the structural inferiority which defines it. With Taiwan viewed as a breakaway province requiring a peaceful or coerced return to Beijing’s dominion, Taipei needs all the support it can get to deter aggression.
America’s provision of such support makes even more sense alongside Xi’s rising disdain for even the pretense of respecting China’s international treaty obligations. One way or another, this struggle between free peoples and the Communist Party of China will define the 21st century. America should not be an idle witness to it.
That said, there are limits to what the United States should sell Taiwan. While it makes sense to sell Harpoons and other platforms, Chinese intelligence infiltration of the island nation makes it imprudent to sell the most advanced U.S. platforms such as F-35 fighter jets and the LRASM system.
Where does this leave us?
Well, there are legitimate and necessary debates over what America ultimately should do were China ever to invade Taiwan. But better enabling a democratic people to defend themselves against tyranny should be a no-brainer.
