In an article, "Why Taiwan is central to Chinese sovereignty," Sarah Carlson reviews arms sale and the history of separating Taiwan from China, and notes the official justification for the overt U.S.-backed militarization of Taiwan has been Taiwan's "defense" needs--a narrative that sharply departs from the history of imperialist aggression against China and the role of Taiwan in the conflict.
She points our that the military relationship between the United States and Taiwan is not a "partnership"; it is a tool for the implementation of U.S. imperialist policy. Despite China's extensive capitalist reforms in recent decades, Washington recognizes that the Chinese government is fundamentally different from those of its imperialist allies. It seeks nothing short of the overthrow of the Chinese Communist Party and the removal of any obstacles that still remain for U.S. capital in China.
The author further notes that China has made clear that the recent arms deal interferes with its internal affairs and national security, but Washington continues a massive military buildup and continues to hinder the reunification of Taiwan with mainland China. Washington, not Beijing, is the real aggressor in the region. (Source: Sarah Carlson, PSLweb.org, Feb 11, 2010).