Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, TikTok: what does the law enacted by Biden contain?

The president of USA, Joe Bidenenacted this Wednesday a law that contains an important aid program for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, as well as a possible ban on the social network TikTok.

Here are the details of that US$95 billion package, the result of months of negotiations in Congress:

Ukraine

Nearly $61 billion, the majority of the approved funds, will go to the war in Ukraine. The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, has been demanding this aid for months, which he has described as “vital”.

The US Congress had not approved a package of such magnitude for kyiv since December 2022, mainly due to partisan disputes.

The text approved on Tuesday provides almost US$14 billion to train, equip and pay the Ukrainian army. About US$10 billion of economic aid dedicated to the energy and infrastructure sectors will be sent in the form of a loan.

That idea was promoted by former president and now presidential candidate Donald Trump, who believes that the United States should “stop giving money without expecting it back.””. However, this debt can be forgiven.

A large part of the endowment will also be used to replenish the supplies of the US military and will go to US weapons factories.

The aid plan also authorizes President Biden, who is seeking re-election against Trump in the November elections, to confiscate and sell Russian assets so they can be used to finance the reconstruction of Ukraine, an idea that is gaining ground among other G7 countries.

Israel

The program adopted by Congress provides more than $13 billion in military assistance to Israel, a key ally of the United States and at war with the Islamist movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

These funds will be used in particular to reinforce the Israeli anti-missile shield, known as the “Iron Dome”.

More than US$9 billion have also been allocated to cover the “urgent need for humanitarian aid” for “vulnerable populations around the world,” especially in Gaza and Sudan.

However, the plan prohibits any direct US funding to the UN Palestinian refugee agency, UNRWA.

Israel accuses some of the employees of that United Nations entity of being involved in the October 7 attack carried out by Hamas fighters and that fueled the conflict, but has not yet provided evidence of these alleged links, according to an independent investigation.

Taiwan, TikTok

As Biden had demanded, this text dedicates more than US$8 billion to standing up to China on the military front – investing in submarines – and in the economic field – competing with large Chinese projects in developing countries.

Several billion dollars will go to Taiwan, an island of 23 million inhabitants that China claims as one of its provinces to be reunified, even by force.

The law also provides for the ban of TikTok in the United States if that social network does not cut its ties with its parent company, the Chinese entertainment group ByteDance, and in general with Beijing.

TikTok has been in the crosshairs of US authorities for several months as several officials claim that the short video platform allows China to spy on and manipulate its 170 million users in the United States. The app has promised to take legal action against this law.