US President Donald Trump’s administration on Monday announced that it had approved a US$280 million arms sale package to Taiwan, with local experts saying the sale would upgrade military telecommunications and stimulate industrial development.
The package includes a Field Information Communications System, consisting of 154 communication nodes, 24 communication relays and eight network management systems, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a press release.
It also involves verification testing, personnel training and training equipment, an initial repair and return program, technical and logistics support services, and contractor-provided training, it said.
Photo: David Chang, EPA-EFE
The proposed sale is designed to provide mobile and secure communications, the agency said, adding that it has notified the US Congress as required.
The principal contractor is currently unknown due to a pending open competition for selection, it said.
Taipei welcomed the potential sale, with the Presidential Office thanking the US for its sixth arms sale this year, and the 11th by the Trump administration.
The sale once again highlights the US government’s substantive actions to fulfill its security commitments under the US’ Taiwan Relations Act and the “six assurances,” and will further strengthen the Taiwanese military’s strategic and defense needs, Presidential Office spokesman Xavier Chang (張惇涵) said in the statement.
Taiwan is determined to be a force for good in safeguarding peace, stability, prosperity and development in the Indo-Pacific region through strong national defense and the deepening of security partnerships with the US and other like-minded countries, he added.
Following the notification procedure, the deal is expected to take effect after one month, the Ministry of National Defense said in a separate statement.
With the new system, Taiwan would be able to upgrade its Improved Mobile Subscriber Equipment (IMSE), Taiwan Security Analysis Center director Mei Fu-hsing (梅復興) said on Facebook yesterday.
The military first introduced the IMSE system in 1996, with the last procurement being made in 2001, he said.
The new system is expected to integrate different combat systems through the 154 nodes that would act as mobile telecommunication base stations, said Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), director of the Division of Defense Strategy and Resources at the government-funded Institute for National Defense and Security Research.
The sale reflects the US’ commitment to developing military-grade broadband communications and encryption techniques with its allies, as stated in its National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, he said, adding that 5G technology is not yet applied in the military communications.
New demand would drive further research and development, similar to what Taiwan has done by investing in locally upgrading F-16 jets purchased from the US, Su said.
SILENCING CRITICS: In addition to blocking Taiwan, China aimed to prevent rights activists from speaking out against authoritarian states, a Cabinet department said The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday condemned transnational repression by Beijing after RightsCon, a major digital human rights conference scheduled to be held in Zambia this week, was abruptly canceled due to Chinese pressure over Taiwanese participation. This year’s RightsCon, the world’s largest conference discussing issues “at the intersection of human rights and technology,” was scheduled to take place from tomorrow to Friday in Lusaka, and expected to draw 2,600 in-person attendees from 150 countries, along with 1,100 online participants. However, organizers were forced to cancel the event due to behind-the-scenes pressure from China, the ministry said, expressing its “strongest condemnation”
DELAYED BUT DETERMINED: The president’s visit highlights Taiwan’s right to international engagement amid regional pressure from China President Willaim Lai (賴清德) yesterday arrived in Eswatini, more than a week after his planned visit to Taiwan’s sole African ally was suspended because of revoked overflight permits. “The visit, originally scheduled for April 22, was postponed due to unforeseen external factors,” Lai wrote on social media. “After several days of careful arrangements by our diplomatic and national security teams, we successfully arrived today.” Lai said he looked forward to further deepening Taiwan-Eswatini relations through closer cooperation in the economy, agriculture, culture and education, as well as advancing the nation’s international partnerships. The president was initially scheduled to arrive in time to celebrate
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) yesterday said the US faced a choice between an “impossible” military operation or a “bad deal” with Tehran, after US President Donald Trump disparaged Iran’s latest peace proposal. Negotiations between the two countries have been deadlocked since a ceasefire came into effect on April 8, with only one round of direct peace talks held so far. Iran’s Tasnim and Fars news agencies reported that Tehran had submitted a 14-point proposal to mediator Pakistan, but Trump was quick to cast doubt on it. “I will soon be reviewing the plan that Iran has just sent to us, but
A group affiliated with indicted Chinese immigrant Xu Chunying (徐春鶯) is to be dissolved for monitoring Chinese immigrants in Taiwan, a source said yesterday. Xu, the secretary-general of the Cross-Strait Marriage and Family Service Alliance, was indicted on March 24 on charges of violating the Anti-Infiltration Act (反滲透法). The alliance “illegally monitored" Chinese immigrants living in Taiwan on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Ministry of the Interior is expected to dissolve the organization in the coming days under provisions of the Civil Associations Act (人民團體法), the source said. Xu, who married a Taiwanese in 1993 and became a Republic
RSS