Illustration: Carlos Latuff /GT

The US has been selling weapons to Taiwan in an attempt to arm the island into a "porcupine." However, this is not making Taiwan island any safer, but merely turning it into a cash machine.

US military assistance and arms sales to Taiwan island only benefit the US military-industrial complex. Yet many arms sold to the island are outdated and overpriced; the US arms do not provide Taiwan any significant military advantages over the Chinese mainland.

The US moves will make the island a powder keg and an ammunition depot and increase the risk of a military conflict in the Taiwan Straits.