US President Donald Trump’s administration is moving forward with a US$8 billion arms sale to Taiwan of Lockheed Martin F-16 jets despite Beijing’s protests, the Washington Post reported yesterday, citing an anonymous official and other sources familiar with the matter.
The US Department of State notified the US Congress late on Thursday that it would submit the deal to lawmakers for an informal review, the Post said, before calling the potential deal “the largest and most significant sale of weaponry” to Taiwan in years.
The decision came amid stalling trade talks and rising tensions between the US and China, the report said.
Photo: Sam Yeh / AFP
Lawmakers from the Democratic and Republican parties had raised concerns that Trump could scuttle the arms sale to assist ongoing trade negotiations with Beijing or use it as a bargaining chip, the report said.
In response, Air Force Command said on Facebook yesterday that the Republic of China Air Force would increase its number of tactical fighter wings from seven to eight after receiving the upgraded F-16C/D Block 70 aircraft.
Establishing a new tactical fighter wing is part of the air force’s plan to grow the service, which would see the most significant increase in the strength of the air force in 20 years, the command said.
Should the project be implemented as planned, the air force would attain its goal of having volunteers comprise 90 percent of its personnel, it said.
The air force’s fleet of third-generation fighter aircraft have reached the middle of their service life and urgently need to be replaced due to increasing military threats and future requirements, the command said.
The F-16C/D Block 70 aircraft, or F-16 jets that have been upgraded to the F-16V standard, would be equipped with advanced avionics, possess enhanced capabilities for firing beyond-visual-range missiles, and require short takeoff and landing distances, the command said.
Procuring upgraded F-16s would mean that pilots could be trained faster, as the aircraft would be similar to what they are used to and would provide logistics and maintenance benefits, it said.
The air force has been asking the US for upgraded jets since 2008 and has not received positive feedback until now, it said, adding that the proposed sale is in the process of deliberation, as per US laws and regulations.
South Korea has adjusted its electronic arrival card system to no longer list Taiwan as a part of China, a move that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said would help facilitate exchanges between the two sides. South Korea previously listed “Taiwan” as “Taiwan (China)” in the drop-down menus of its online arrival card system, where people had to fill out where they came from and their next destination. The ministry had requested South Korea make a revision and said it would change South Korea’s name on Taiwan’s online immigration system from “Republic of Korea” to “Korea (South),” should the issue not be
The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee yesterday approved proposed amendments to the Amusement Tax Act (娛樂稅法) that would abolish taxes on films, cultural activities and competitive sporting events, retaining the fee only for dance halls and golf courses. The proposed changes would set the maximum tax rate for dance halls and golf courses at 50 and 20 percent respectively, with local governments authorized to suspend the levies. Article 2 of the act says that “amusement tax shall be levied on tickets sold or fees charged by amusement places, facilities or activities” in six categories: “Cinema; professional singing, story-telling, dancing, circus, magic show, acrobatics
Tainan, Taipei and New Taipei City recorded the highest fines nationwide for illegal accommodations in the first quarter of this year, with fines issued in the three cities each exceeding NT$7 million (US$220,639), Tourism Administration data showed. Among them, Taipei had the highest number of illegal short-term rental units, with 410. There were 3,280 legally registered hotels nationwide in the first quarter, down by 14 properties, or 0.43 percent, from a year earlier, likely indicating operators exiting the market, the agency said. However, the number of unregistered properties rose to 1,174, including 314 illegal hotels and 860 illegal short-term rental
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