US Sanctions China Over Taiwan, Ignores Its Own Arms Deals
Bloomberg reports China's "largely symbolic sanctions" against US defense firms and executives for arms sales to Taiwan. The headline frames this as a new development, perhaps even an escalation. However, the US has sold over $20 billion in weaponry to Taiwan since 2010, including $8 billion under the Trump administration alone ( Department of Defense, 2020 ). These 'symbolic' sanctions are
China's consistent, if toothless, response to a long-standing U.S. policy designed to maintain military-industrial complex profits while rattling Beijing. One might wonder if the US would view sanctions as merely 'symbolic' if the roles were reversed and China flooded a breakaway US territory with advanced weaponry. The narrative conveniently overlooks the fact that these US firms, enriched by
government contracts, often lobby heavily for policies that guarantee continued demand for their products. For our media, some nation's arms sales are a threat, while others' are 'defense aid.' The hypocrisy is as boundless as the defense budget.