The US Congress was yesterday officially notified of a proposed US$330 million arms sales package to Taiwan involving spare parts for several aircraft, including F-16 warplanes and C-130 cargo planes, and related logistics and program support elements.
“This proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the US by helping to improve the security and defensive capability of the recipient, which has been and continues to be an important force for political stability, military balance and economic progress in the region,” the US Department of Defense’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement.
The proposed sale is the second weapons deal from US President Donald Trump’s administration following a US$1.42 billion deal in June last year.
The US Congress has 30 days to raise objections to the sale, although this is unlikely, given that the US Department of State has determined that Taiwan continues to be “an important force for political stability, military balance and economic progress in the region.”
The government yesterday expressed its gratitude for the proposed sale. Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Andrew Lee (李憲章) said it was a manifestation of the US government’s commitments toward Taiwan as stipulated in tis Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) and the “six assurances.”
“As Taiwan faces growing threats, the sale would not only enhance our defensive capability, but also boost our confidence in self-defense, which is conducive to the maintenance of cross-strait peace and stability,” Lee said.
The “six assurances” were issued by then-US president Ronald Reagan in 1982, stipulating that the US would not set an end date to arms sales to Taiwan, would not alter the TRA, would not hold consultations with China over arms sales to Taiwan, would not mediate between Taiwan and China, would not pressure Taiwan to negotiate with China and would not formally recognize Chinese sovereignty over Taiwan.
Presidential Office spokesman Alex Huang (黃重諺) also expressed the office’s gratitude for the proposed arms sale, saying that with strengthened defensive capability, Taiwanese would be more confident in the face of dire security challenges, and be better equipped to ensure peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and in the region.
“Based on this foundation, we can continue to pursue the positive development of cross-strait ties,” Huang said, adding that the government would remain in close communication with Washington on defense and security issues.
The government would also do its part by increasing its investment in national defense and facilitating the research and development of the nation’s defense industry and technology, he said.
The Ministry of National Defense said the deal signified the great emphasis the US placed on Taiwan’s national security, adding that both sides would continue to consolidate their security partnership and contribute to long-term stability in the region.
“This case-by-case approach in military sales could be more efficient than previous practices of big packages,” defense ministry spokesman Major General Chen Chung-chi (陳中吉) told Bloomberg by telephone.
“We hope military purchases in the future can be discussed case by case in order to enhance efficiency,” Chen said.
The Chinese government yesterday demanded that the US cancel the new deal, warning of “severe damage” to bilateral relations and mutual cooperation if it fails to comply.
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Geng Shuang (耿爽) told a regular briefing that the sale violated international law and the “basic norms governing international relations.”
Bloomberg said a US Congressional Research Service report showed the US$330 million package is the smallest stand-alone offering since then US-president George W. Bush approved a US$125 million sale of anti-ship missiles in 2007.
Additional reporting by agencies
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off Yilan at 11:05pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter was located at sea, about 32.3km east of Yilan County Hall, at a depth of 72.8km, CWA data showed There were no immediate reports of damage. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Yilan County area on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. It measured 4 in other parts of eastern, northern and central Taiwan as well as Tainan, and 3 in Kaohsiung and Pingtung County, and 2 in Lienchiang and Penghu counties and 1
FOREIGN INTERFERENCE: Beijing would likely intensify public opinion warfare in next year’s local elections to prevent Lai from getting re-elected, the ‘Yomiuri Shimbun’ said Internal documents from a Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) company indicated that China has been using the technology to intervene in foreign elections, including propaganda targeting Taiwan’s local elections next year and presidential elections in 2028, a Japanese newspaper reported yesterday. The Institute of National Security of Vanderbilt University obtained nearly 400 pages of documents from GoLaxy, a company with ties to the Chinese government, and found evidence that it had apparently deployed sophisticated, AI-driven propaganda campaigns in Hong Kong and Taiwan to shape public opinion, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported. GoLaxy provides insights, situation analysis and public opinion-shaping technology by conducting network surveillance
‘POLITICAL GAME’: DPP lawmakers said the motion would not meet the legislative threshold needed, and accused the KMT and the TPP of trivializing the Constitution The Legislative Yuan yesterday approved a motion to initiate impeachment proceedings against President William Lai (賴清德), saying he had undermined Taiwan’s constitutional order and democracy. The motion was approved 61-50 by lawmakers from the main opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the smaller Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), who together hold a legislative majority. Under the motion, a roll call vote for impeachment would be held on May 19 next year, after various hearings are held and Lai is given the chance to defend himself. The move came after Lai on Monday last week did not promulgate an amendment passed by the legislature that
AFTERMATH: The Taipei City Government said it received 39 minor incident reports including gas leaks, water leaks and outages, and a damaged traffic signal A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off Taiwan’s northeastern coast late on Saturday, producing only two major aftershocks as of yesterday noon, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The limited aftershocks contrast with last year’s major earthquake in Hualien County, as Saturday’s earthquake occurred at a greater depth in a subduction zone. Saturday’s earthquake struck at 11:05pm, with its hypocenter about 32.3km east of Yilan County Hall, at a depth of 72.8km. Shaking was felt in 17 administrative regions north of Tainan and in eastern Taiwan, reaching intensity level 4 on Taiwan’s seven-tier seismic scale, the CWA said. In Hualien, the
RSS