The United States government gave the green light a new arms sales package to Taiwan worth $11 billion, Taipei reported this Thursday. This is the second approved batch since the return of Donald Trump to the White House and one of the largest since the $18 billion deal approved by then-President George W. Bush in 2001.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained that the sale includes: HIMARS missile systems, howitzers, anti-tank missiles, drones and spare parts for other important military equipment.
Taiwan sees this agreement as an important strengthening of its deterrence capacity in the face of the military threat from China, which claims the island as part of its territory and has recently not ruled out the use of force to enforce its control.
“This is the second arms sale to Taiwan announced during the second term of the Trump administration and once again demonstrates the United States’ strong commitment to Taiwan’s security,” Taipei’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
He Ministry of Defense (MDN) Taiwanese said the operation could become official in about a month. Although the agreement requires formal approval from the US Congress, no obstacles are expected given the broad bipartisan consensus on the need to strengthen Taiwan’s defense.
The government led by Lai Ching-te on the island reiterated its determination to increase investment in defense in response to China’s ever-increasing military pressure in the region. Although Taiwan has its own war industry, its capabilities would be far exceeded by China’s military operations, leaving the country largely dependent on US arms supplies.
WashingtonAlthough Taiwan does not officially recognize Taiwan as an independent state, it has been the main provider of security assistance for decades.
The announcement of the arms sale came after the publication of the MDN report that highlighted it The Chinese aircraft carrier Fujian conducted maneuvers through the Taiwan Strait on Tuesdaya move being closely watched by the Taiwanese military.
The report is unusual because Taipei authorities rarely release information about military exercises involving large Chinese ships. “The Chinese Communist Party’s aircraft carrier Fujian (CV-18) sailed through the Taiwan Strait yesterday (the 16th) under close and continuous surveillance by the armed forces,” the ministry said in its statement.
The activity in Fujian coincided with an intensification of Chinese maneuvers around Taiwan: they were spotted nearby between 06:00 on Tuesday (22:00 GMT on Monday) and 06:00 on Wednesday (22:00 GMT on Tuesday). nine Chinese aircraft and seven warships.
Likewise, the MDN reported a further upswing since 8:30 a.m. local time (00:30 GMT) on Wednesday with a total 23 sorties by Chinese aircraft, including fighters, bombers, early warning aircraft and dronesThis reflects Beijing’s increasing military pressure on the island.
(With information from AFP)
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