The United States has approved the potential sale of $619 million in new weapons to Taiwan, including missiles for its F-16 fleet, as the island reported a second day of large-scale Chinese air force incursions nearby.
The arms sales are likely to further sour already tense ties between Washington and Beijing, which has repeatedly demanded such deals stop, viewing them as unwarranted support for democratically governed Taiwan, an island China claims as its own territory.
The Pentagon said on Wednesday the U.S. State Department has approved the potential sale to Taiwan of arms and equipment that includes 200 anti-aircraft Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) and 100 AGM-88B HARM missiles that can take out land-based radar stations.
“The proposed sale will contribute to the recipient’s capability to provide for the defense of its airspace, regional security, and interoperability with the United States,” it said in a statement.
Taiwan’s defense ministry said the missiles would help “effectively defend the airspace to deal with threats and provocations from the Communist military” and would bolster defense stockpiles.
Raytheon Technologies and Lockheed Martin are the principal contractors, it added. China has sanctioned both companies for selling Taiwan weapons.
China’s foreign ministry said it was “firmly” opposed to the planned sale, adding that the U.S. should stop arms sales to and military contacts with Taiwan.
The U.S. is bound by law to provide Taiwan with defensive weapons, but it has a policy of “strategic ambiguity” when it comes to exactly how it would respond to Chinese aggression toward the self-ruling island. Since it established diplomatic relations with China in 1979, the U.S. has recognized Beijing as the sole legitimate government of China while maintaining unofficial relations with Taiwan.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has not ruled out the use of force in achieving his goal of “reunification” with Taiwan. Taiwan has complained for the past three years or so of stepped-up Chinese military activities near the island as Beijing seeks to assert its sovereignty claims.
Taiwan reported on Thursday a second day of large-scale Chinese air force incursions into its air defense identification zone, with its defense ministry saying that during the last 24 hours it had spotted 21 aircraft.
China has said its activities in the area are justified as it seeks to defend its territorial integrity and to warn the United States against “colluding” with Taiwan, despite the anger this causes in Taipei.
Primary Source(s): NBC News, Reuters
Factual Confidence: 100% Verified (Multiple Sources Reporting, 1st person accounts)
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