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.
RESPONSE: The transit sends a message that China’s alignment with other countries would not deter the West from defending freedom of navigation, an academic said Canadian frigate the Ville de Quebec and Australian guided-missile destroyer the Brisbane transited the Taiwan Strait yesterday morning, the first time the two nations have conducted a joint freedom of navigation operation. The Canadian and Australian militaries did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Ministry of National Defense declined to confirm the passage, saying only that Taiwan’s armed forces had deployed surveillance and reconnaissance assets, along with warships and combat aircraft, to safeguard security across the Strait. The two vessels were observed transiting northward along the eastern side of the Taiwan Strait’s median line, with Japan being their most likely destination,
GLOBAL ISSUE: If China annexes Taiwan, ‘it will not stop its expansion there, as it only becomes stronger and has more force to expand further,’ the president said China’s military and diplomatic expansion is not a sole issue for Taiwan, but one that risks world peace, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that Taiwan would stand with the alliance of democratic countries to preserve peace through deterrence. Lai made the remark in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times). “China is strategically pushing forward to change the international order,” Lai said, adding that China established the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank, launched the Belt and Road Initiative, and pushed for yuan internationalization, because it wants to replace the democratic rules-based international
The National Development Council (NDC) yesterday unveiled details of new regulations that ease restrictions on foreigners working or living in Taiwan, as part of a bid to attract skilled workers from abroad. The regulations, which could go into effect in the first quarter of next year, stem from amendments to the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及僱用法) passed by lawmakers on Aug. 29. Students categorized as “overseas compatriots” would be allowed to stay and work in Taiwan in the two years after their graduation without obtaining additional permits, doing away with the evaluation process that is currently required,
RELEASED: Ko emerged from a courthouse before about 700 supporters, describing his year in custody as a period of ‘suffering’ and vowed to ‘not surrender’ Former Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) was released on NT$70 million (US$2.29 million) bail yesterday, bringing an end to his year-long incommunicado detention as he awaits trial on corruption charges. Under the conditions set by the Taipei District Court on Friday, Ko must remain at a registered address, wear a GPS-enabled ankle monitor and is prohibited from leaving the country. He is also barred from contacting codefendants or witnesses. After Ko’s wife, Peggy Chen (陳佩琪), posted bail, Ko was transported from the Taipei Detention Center to the Taipei District Court at 12:20pm, where he was fitted with the tracking
RSS