DISINFO: The US pushes Taiwan's militarisation
SUMMARY
Some lessons are never learned. The US pushes for Taiwan’s militarisation, as the island has received a first batch of 38 US-made Abrams tanks with 70 more such armoured vehicles due to be delivered to the island before the end of 2026. Under outgoing US President Joe Biden between 2021 and 2024, Taiwan already bought military equipment worth about $7 billion. Another package to be purchased is worth more than $15 billion.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative portraying the US as a warmongering and militaristic, ever-aggressive power constantly working to destabilize other countries through proxy conflicts.
While the figures provided in this disinformation story are correct, the process of Taiwan acquiring US weapon is entirely led by Taiwanese authorities as part of a military reform aimed at modernising the island’s defence sector. Taiwan asks for the US to sell these weapons, and the sales must be approved by US Congress. Even after these purchases are completed, there are often delays and obstacles in their delivery, contradicting this disinformation narrative. By accusing the US of being the real force behind this process, this disinformation story also promotes a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about sovereignty, denying real agency to smaller countries.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that the US is forcing Taiwan to increase military spending, that the West is the sole responsible for growing tensions between China and Taiwan, that the results of Taiwan election were a victory for the Western empire, or that the US army confessed it used Ukraine to trap Russia and is preparing a Taiwan trap for China.