Editorial: Welcome change to Trump's China policy
Strategic competition with Beijing demands clarity on American commitments and economic leverage.
The press is treating this arms sale as a neat “course correction,” as if Washington merely drifted off track and is now back to normal. That framing skips the larger point: Beijing’s pressure campaign never pauses, and “balance” too often becomes code for giving China room to maneuver. An $11.
New Republican Times Editorial Board
The Trump administration’s approval of an $11.1 billion arms sale will help Taiwan gear up for, and therefore deter, a potential Chinese attack. It’s an overdo correction after months of policy changes that favored Beijing over Taipei.
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New Republican Times Editorial Board
The press is treating this arms sale as a neat “course correction,” as if Washington merely drifted off track and is now back to normal. That framing skips the larger point: Beijing’s pressure campaign never pauses, and “balance” too often becomes code for giving China room to maneuver.
An $11.1 billion package is substantial, but the question is whether it reflects credible deterrence or episodic symbolism. Taiwan needs systems that survive a first strike, resilient supply lines, and training that matches the threat. Anything less invites miscalculation in Beijing and complacency in Washington.
Conservatives aren’t interested in sentimental gestures. This is about national security, public trust, and peace through strength in the Pacific. The guiding principle is simple: when an adversary tests the rule-based order, America should respond with clarity and staying power, not mood swings.
Commentary written with AI assistance by the New Republican Times Editorial Board.