This is huge. Think about it, XI threatened Trump over "China threatens to respond with 'military pressure' after Trump supports official visits to Taiwan" and Trump's response was to up the anti, by selling weaponry to Taiwan.

QuoteThis was last year: Mar. 19, 2018
China's state-run media said the Taiwan Travel Act signed by President Donald Trump could lead to military pressure.
The law, which allows official visits between the two countries, has angered China as it considers Taiwan one of its provinces and regularly holds military drills near the island.
The warning comes as relations between the US and China deteriorate over tariffs and a potential trade war.

https://static2.businessinsider.com/china-threatens-military-pressure-trump-signs-taiwan-travel-act-2018-3

A year later and Trump is not backing down. or as Obozo put it, "Leading from behind".

March 15, 2019 4:59 am

The Trump administration has approved the sale of dozens of new F-16 jet fighters to Taiwan, the first major warplane sale to the island state in nearly 30 years.

The interagency decision, to be announced in the near future, authorized the sale of up to 66 F-16V jet fighters at an estimated cost of $13 billion, according to administration officials familiar with internal discussions.

The jets are among several new weapons systems, including missiles, that are part of the administration's latest arms sale to Taiwan, a key U.S. partner in the Asia Pacific region.

The jet sale reverses the Obama administration rejection of Taiwan's request for the same number of F-15C/D jets over fears of upsetting China. The George W. Bush administration also blocked F-16 sales in 2007, amid worries about triggering a backlash from Beijing.

A Pentagon spokesman referred questions about the arms sale to the State Department. A State Department spokesman said the department does not comment on arms sales until Congress is first notified.

The jet sale is part of the Trump administration's more hardline policy toward China. Last year, President Trump signed legislation authorizing greater amounts of high-level U.S. visits to Taiwan.

The arms sales are being carried out under the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act that authorizes the United States to provide defensive weapons to Taiwan to counter any mainland attack.

https://freebeacon.com/national-security/trump-administration-approves-sale-of-f-16s-to-taiwan/

Trump to china: "My dick is bigger than yours. Deal with it."

Quote from: T Hunt on March 15, 2019, 08:36:13 AM
Trump to china: "My dick is bigger than yours. Deal with it."

He literally just put China in its place by showing the US no longer caves to threats, meaning, if China wants to play hardball by attacking Taiwan, they'll be forced to deal with American tech and support.
Trump just canceled China's Taiwan card.

Quote from: Solar on March 15, 2019, 08:50:49 AM

He literally just put China in its place by showing the US no longer caves to threats, meaning, if China wants to play hardball by attacking Taiwan, they'll be forced to deal with American tech and support.
Trump just canceled China's Taiwan card.

Xi is still in the learning curve.

Quote from: supsalemgr on March 15, 2019, 09:04:38 AM
Xi is still in the learning curve.

They have to be freakin out that Trump just stole, what they considered to be their "Trump" card.
I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if he threatens XI by considering an offer to Taiwan with a a seat at NATO.
China knows there is no way they can win a war with the US, so all their bluster were nothing more than hollow threats.
China's dream of world power just ended with this one stroke of the pen, now China will be forced to concede, or find a new puppet to dangle in our face, which at this point, there is none..