The United States plans to ramp up weapons sales to Taipei to a level exceeding President Donald Trump’s first term as part of an effort to deter China as it intensifies military pressure on the democratic island, according to two U.S. officials.

Axar.az informs, citing Reuters, if U.S. arms sales to Taiwan do accelerate, it could ease worries about the extent of Trump’s commitment to the island. It would also add new friction to the tense U.S.-China relationship.

The U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they expect U.S. approvals for weapons sales to Taipei over the next four years to surpass those in Trump’s first term, with one of the officials saying arms sales notifications to Taiwan could “easily exceed” that earlier period.

They also said the United States is pressing members of Taiwan’s opposition parties not to oppose the government’s efforts to increase defense spending to 3% of the island’s economic output.

The first Trump administration approved sales of approximately $18.3 billion worth of weapons to Taiwan, compared with around $8.4 billion during Joe Biden’s term, according to Reuters calculations.

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