U.S. sells inferior weapons to Taiwan, reaps gains from arms deals: experts

The arms that the United States is going to sell to China's Taiwan region are inferior products with high prices, which is intended to reap tangible interests from arms deals with the island, experts say.

The U.S. government approved arms sales totaling about 228 million U.S. dollars in mid September and announced a military aids worth about 567 million U.S. dollars to Taiwan in late September, which were appreciated by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party authorities in Taiwan.

However, up to 24.4 billion TWD (755.2 million U.S. dollars) of so-called "guarantee deposit" for the arms sales had not been retrieved by Taiwan from the U.S. as of the end of 2023, according to Taiwan media reports.

In addition, the arms sales owed by the United States to Taiwan had reached 20.53 billion U.S. dollars as of June this year, according to data released by a U.S. think tank.

It was reported by Taiwan media that the arms delivered by the United States to Taiwan included old ammunition and moldy equipment.

"The reasons why U.S. delays arms sales to Taiwan lie in the volume and price. The U.S. aims to adjust the price to treat Taiwan as a sucker," said Yeung Chun-bin, a senior military correspondent in Taiwan.

According to current statistics, Taiwan's defense spending now accounts for 2.6 percent of the GDP, but the United States is still not satisfied with this figure.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump recently said that Taiwan should devote 10 percent of its GDP to the defense budget.

"For the Democratic Party-led administration of the United States, it places more emphasis on strategic layout. For the Republican Party, especially former President Donald Trump himself, they more emphasize making deals. No matter which one is in power, their core goal is to serve the interests of the United States by arming Taiwan. The U.S. military-industrial complex aims to reap tangible gains from arms sales and aid to Taiwan," said Su Xiaohui, deputy director of the Department for American Studies under China Institute of International Studies.

"On the other hand, for the people in the Taiwan island, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities, particularly Lai Ching-de himself, are strengthening collaboration with the United States. Their reliance on the United States to seek independence has also brought direct economic losses to the people, and has also caused negative impact on the security environment. Therefore, military collusion between the U.S. and Taiwan has given rise to more uncertainty across the Taiwan Strait, and the United States has brought about more risks in promoting its regional strategy," she said.

U.S. sells inferior weapons to Taiwan, reaps gains from arms deals: experts

China has seen a tourism boom in the first five days of the week-long National Day holiday, as people seize the opportunity to embrace natural and cultural attractions nationwide.

From Oct 1 to 5, Beijing received 20.5392 million tourists, including 10.8615 million tourists from other Chinese cities and 46,800 inbound tourists. Key scenic spots of the Chinese capital, including the Wangfujing Street, the Temple of Heaven Park, the Summer Palace, Nanluoguxiang, and Badaling Great Wall, were crowded with people during the holiday.

In east China's Jiangxi Province, many tourists choose to climb mountains, or walk into the countryside to feel the charm of nature. In the first five days of the National Day holiday, Sanqingshan Scenic Area, a world natural heritage site in the province's Shangrao City, received more than 600,000 tourists, an increase of 25.6 percent over last year.

"The scenery, stones and mountains are just like traditional Chinese ink paintings, with a particularly beautiful artistic conception," said Liu Hao, a tourist.

While waiting to enter the park at the foot of the mountain, tourists watched the She people's performances with rich ethnic minority style, and the children enthusiastically participated in colorful games.

"Although there are a lot of people, everyone line up in an orderly manner and there are places to sit," said Zou Wenhao, another tourist.

As of Sunday, the total number of visitors to the Mount Taishan, a UNESCO world heritage site in east China's Shandong Province, has exceeded 7 million this year. From Oct. 2 to 5, the number of tourists at the scenic spot exceeded 73,000 per day for four consecutive days, and the number reached a peak of 82,000 on Oct. 3.

Tourists can not only enjoy the beautiful scenery of Mount Taishan, but also taste various delicious food such as Taishan fried chicken and sweet and sour Yellow River carp in the nearby food street.

Chinese cities enjoy tourism boom during National Day holiday