While Asheville, NC, is completely submerged, Biden approves $567 million in defense assistance for Taiwan | 30 Sept 2024 | [As millions in the U.S. are without power, the city of Asheville, North Carolina, is completely submerged, and hundreds are dead and missing from Hurricane Helene,] Joe Biden on Sunday approved $567 million in defense assistance for Taiwan, the White House said, as China [allegedly] ramps up political and military pressure on the self-ruled island. While the United States does not officially recognize Taiwan diplomatically, it is Taipei's key partner and major provider of weapons -- a point of consternation for Beijing, which has repeatedly called on Washington to stop arming the island, which it claims is part of its territory. In a brief statement, the White House said Biden had delegated the secretary of state "to direct the drawdown of up to $567 million in defense articles and services of the Department of Defense, and military education and training, to provide assistance to Taiwan." It did not give details of the package, which is nearly twice the size of the $345 million in defense support approved in July last year.