The government yesterday thanked Washington for another proposed arms sales package to strengthen the nation’s defense capabilities.
“Taiwan’s government thanks the US government for once again providing important defensive weapons in the wake of last week’s announcement of a three-part arms sales package,” Presidential Office spokesman Xavier Chang (張惇涵) said in a statement yesterday.
“This sale once again constitutes concrete action by the US government to fulfill its security commitments under the ‘six assurances’ and the Taiwan Relations Act, and also demonstrates that the US government considers assisting Taiwan to strengthen our self-
Photo: Chen Cheng-liang, Taipei Times
defense capabilities a matter of great importance,” he said.
In the face of China’s military expansionism and provocation, Taiwan will further modernize its defense capabilities and upgrade its asymmetric combat capabilities, in a bid to maintain regional peace and stability, it said.
The latest package includes up to 100 Harpoon Coastal Defense Systems and related equipment for an estimated cost of US$2.37 billion, the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a news release.
Also included are 400 RGM-84L-4 Harpoon Block II Surface- launched Missiles, four RTM-84L-4 Harpoon Block II Exercise Missiles, 411 containers, 100 Harpoon Coastal Defense System launcher transporter units, 25 radar trucks and other related logistics services and support, it said.
The agency has delivered the required certification notifying the US Congress of the possible sale, it added.
The proposed sale would improve the recipient’s capability to meet current and future threats by providing a flexible solution to augment existing surface and air defenses, but would not alter the basic military balance in the region, it said.
The US Department of State’s Bureau of Political Military Affairs also announced the sale on Twitter.
The notice came just five days after Washington announced the possible sale of a US$1.8 billion package that includes 11 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems M142 launchers and 135 AGM-84H Standoff Land Attack Missile Expanded Response Missiles, as well as surveillance and reconnaissance sensors to be mounted on aircraft.
The US has normalized its arms sales to Taiwan and reviewed Taiwan’s purchase proposals upon request, rather than holding and approving accumulated proposals all at once, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) wrote on Facebook.
The weapons provided by the US also feature long-range and precision combat capabilities, and can be mounted on existing systems, he added.
Following Washington’s announcement last week, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Zhao Lijian (趙立堅) on Monday said that Beijing would impose sanctions on Lockheed Martin Corp, a Boeing Co defense unit, Raytheon Technologies Corp and other US companies involved in the US’ arms sales to Taiwan.
China would take “necessary measures” to safeguard national sovereignty and security interests if the US does not drop its arms sale plans, ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin (汪文斌) said yesterday in a China Central Television news report.
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