20230830 美批准首批對台「外國軍事融資」（Foreign Military Financing, FMF）

美透過外國軍事融資軍援台灣 通常適用主權國家    中央社 20230830

拜登政府首度根據通常保留用於援助主權獨立國家的「外國軍事融資」（Foreign Military Financing, FMF）計畫，批准提供台灣8000萬美元軍備。

美國國務院今天正式知會國會。國務院表示，這些物資將「透過結合與綜合防衛能力，來加強台灣自我防衛能力，並提升海域意識和海上維安能力」。

這次對台軍事融資的規模不大，在國會已編列20億美元預算中僅占8000萬美元，然而，動用到外國軍事融資計畫產生的言外之意，恐會激怒中國。

美聯社報導，美國過去的對台軍售是根據其他授權批准的，並不見得涉及國家地位的意涵。不過，美國官員隨即表示，向台灣提供「外國軍事融資」軍援，不代表政策出現改變。但中國肯定不會同意這個立場。

兩名美國官員在解釋此一變化時說：「美國多年來一直向台灣提供外國軍事銷售（Foreign Military Sales, FMS）。外國軍事融資只是讓符合資格的夥伴國家透過外國軍事銷售，或對少數國家而言是透過外國軍事融資/直接商業銷售（FMF/DCC）計畫，購買美國的防衛物品、服務與培訓。」這兩名官員因未獲授權對外發言，要求不要具名。

但這筆軍援使用的措辭，暗指台灣是或可以被比作一個「民族國家」或「國家」。中國曾強烈反對這樣的用詞，並阻止台灣在聯合國等國際組織取得正式會員身分，除非稱台灣是中國的一部分。

美國官員說，美國透過外國軍事融資向非民族國家提供軍事援助，除了台灣就只有另外一例，是提供給總部設於衣索比亞的主權國家組織「非洲聯盟」（African Union）。

美聯社取得的通知副本並未具體列出，美國透過FMF對台提供了哪些軍事裝備或系統，但可能涵蓋的項目包括：防空與海岸防衛系統、裝甲車、步兵戰車、無人機、彈道飛彈、網路防禦與先進通訊設備。內容並提到，防護用具、一系列小中重型武器系統、彈藥、裝甲與步兵戰車等也可能包含在內。

 

China objects as US approves military aid to Taiwan under program aimed at sovereign nations    AP 20230831

The Biden administration has approved the first-ever U.S. military transfer to Taiwan under a program generally reserved for assistance to sovereign, independent states.

The State Department notified Congress of the sale on Wednesday. It said the material would “be used to strengthen Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities through joint and combined defense capability and enhanced maritime domain awareness and maritime security capability.”

The package is modest — only $80 million of what Congress had set aside as a potential $2 billion — but the implications of using the so-called Foreign Military Financing program to provide it infuriated China.

Beijing, which regards Taiwan as a renegade province, has repeatedly refused to rule out the use of force to reunite it with the mainland and vociferously protests all U.S. arms sales to the self-governing island.

China’s foreign ministry immediately lashed out at the move, calling it a violation of U.S. commitments under its “one-China” policy and a number of subsequent agreements in which Washington pledged not to support Taiwanese independence.

“This severely violates the one-China principle and the stipulations of the three China-U.S. joint communiques,” ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters in Beijing on Thursday. “China deplores and firmly opposes it.”

Previous arms sales to Taiwan have been approved under other authorities that do not necessarily imply statehood. U.S. officials were quick to say that the provision of FMF funding to Taiwan did not represent a change in policy.

In explaining the change, two U.S. officials said: “The United States has provided Foreign Military Sales (FMS) to Taiwan for years. FMF simply enables eligible partner nations to purchase U.S. defense articles, services, and training through either FMS or, for a limited number of countries, through the foreign military financing of direct commercial contracts (FMF/DCC) program.” The officials were not authorized to comment publicly and did so on condition of anonymity.

But the language used implied that Taiwan is or could be compared to a “nation” or a “country” — something China has fervently opposed, blocking Taiwan’s full membership in any number of U.N. and other international organizations unless it is identified as part of China.

The only other time the U.S. has provided a non-nation-state with military assistance under FMF was to the African Union, an organization of sovereign states based in Ethiopia, according to American officials.

The notification, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, did not specify what military equipment or systems would be paid for under FMF, which commits U.S. taxpayer dollars to pay for the supply of materiel to foreign countries.

But it said items that could be covered would include: air and coastal defense systems, armored vehicles, infantry fighting vehicles, drones, ballistic missile and cyber defenses, and advanced communications equipment. It added that protective gear, an array of small, medium and heavy weapons systems, ammunition, armored and infantry fighting vehicles could also be included.

In addition to equipment, FMF may also be used to support training for Taiwanese military forces.

The move drew strong bipartisan support from U.S. lawmakers in both the House and Senate.

“In the face of increasingly aggressive People’s Republic of China military actions in the (Taiwan) Strait, the United States must move quickly to provide support for Taiwan’s defense,” said Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Rep. Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, also welcomed the FMF being provided to Taiwan.

“These weapons will not only help Taiwan and protect other democracies in the region, but also strengthen the U.S. deterrence posture and ensure our national security from an increasingly aggressive CCP,” he said in a statement, referring to the Chinese Communist Party.