Rising tensions with China at present will not lead to a sharp increase in US arms shipments to Taiwan. This opinion was expressed on Thursday to Reuters on condition of anonymity by sources familiar with the negotiations on the sale of American weapons to the island.

In their opinion, the main attention will be paid to ensuring the functioning of Taiwan's existing weapons systems and the implementation of existing agreements.

It is expected that this could be officially announced in September, which will be a signal that Beijing's military exercises near the island did not affect its support from the United States. Since 2017, Washington has approved more than $18 billion worth of arms supplies to Taiwan.

On Thursday evening, US Senate member Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee) arrived in Taiwan. This is the third visit of US legislators to the island in a month. Speaker of the House of Representatives of the US Congress Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei on August 2-3, which caused a sharp reaction from Beijing, which launched large-scale military exercises around the island in response. On August 14-15, a delegation led by Senator Ed Markey (D-Massachusetts) paid a visit to Taiwan.

The United States severed diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 1979 and established them with the PRC. While recognizing the One China policy, Washington at the same time continues to maintain contacts with the Taipei administration and supplies weapons to the island.

Taiwan has been governed by its own administration since 1949, when the remnants of the Kuomintang forces led by Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975) fled to the island, having been defeated in the Chinese civil war. Since then, Taiwan has retained the flag and some other attributes of the former Republic of China, which existed on the mainland before the communists came to power. According to the official position of the PRC, supported by most countries, including Russia, the island is considered one of the Chinese provinces.