The United States has announced its first-ever “Taiwan military assistance package” worth $440 billion under the president’s budget authority, which can be invoked without congressional approval in times of emergency, and China is pushing back.

“We firmly oppose the United States providing arms to Taiwan, and this position is clear and consistent,” said Chen Binhua, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the Chinese State Council, in a statement released on Monday night.

“The DPP authorities are adhering to the divided position of Taiwan independence, relying on the United States to promote independence, or asking the United States for arms sales or military assistance to promote independence by force,” he said. “Their actions are turning Taiwan into a powder keg and ammunition depot, increasing the risk of war across the Taiwan Strait, and if the DPP continues to insist on this path, young people will have no choice but to become bulletproof,” he warned.

The Chinese Embassy in the United States also issued a statement, saying that China “resolutely opposes” U.S. military assistance to Taiwan and that “the United States should refrain from creating new factors that could increase tensions across the Taiwan Strait.”

On March 28, the U.S. government announced $345 million worth of military equipment, services, and training for Taiwan using Presidential Defense Authorization (PDA).

PDA is a presidential authority that allows the U.S. 카지노사이트킴 to expedite security assistance to other countries with U.S. weapons and military equipment stocks during emergencies without congressional authorization.