The Presidential Office yesterday thanked Washington after the US Department of State approved the sale of 40 Paladin M109A6 self-propelled howitzers and related equipment to Taiwan, the first such deal since US President Joe Biden took office in January.
With the sale, the US is honoring its commitment to furnish Taiwan with defensive articles under the US’ Taiwan Relations Act and the “six assurances,” Presidential Office spokesperson Xavier Chang (張惇涵) said while expressing the government’s “sincere gratitude” for the deal.
The US Department of Defense’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement that it notified Congress on Wednesday of the US$750 million deal.
Photo: AFP
In addition to logistical support, the package includes 40 155mm M109A6 medium self-propelled howitzer systems; 20 M992A2 field artillery ammunition support vehicles; an advanced field artillery tactical data system; five M88A2 Hercules vehicles; five M2 Chrysler mount .50 caliber machine guns; and 1,698 multi-option precision guidance kits, the agency said.
The sale would “contribute to the modernization of the recipient’s self-propelled howitzer fleet, enhancing its ability to meet current and future threats ... while further enhancing interoperability with the United States and other allies,” it said.
The package marks the first US arms sale to Taiwan under the Biden administration, “fully demonstrating the US government’s high regard for Taiwan’s defense capabilities,” Chang said.
Washington’s provision of defensive arms helps boost Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities, thereby improving the nation’s ability and confidence to preserve regional and cross-strait peace, he said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday confirmed receipt of official notice from Washington about the package.
The US has continued its policy of normalizing arms sales to Taiwan in recent years, helping the nation to acquire defensive equipment in a timely manner, the ministry said.
Despite Chinese aggression, Taiwan would continue to improve its defensive capabilities to safeguard the lives and property of Taiwanese, and their democratic way of life, it said.
Through close cooperation with the US, the nation would maintain peace in the Taiwan Strait and keep contributing to the long-term peace, stability and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region, it said.
The package is likely to be formally confirmed by Congress after a month, the Ministry of National Defense said in a statement, thanking Washington for the agreement that would help “enhance the rapid response and fire support capabilities of our ground forces.”
Separately, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it has lodged stern representations with the US while promising to take appropriate countermeasures.
The agreement interferes in internal Chinese affairs and “sends a wrong message to Taiwan independence secessionist forces” in contravention of international law and norms, it said.
The Chinese ministry also urged Washington to abide by the “one China” principle and the Three Joint Communiques, and to immediately cease all military cooperation with Taiwan to “avoid further damaging China-US relations, and peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”
Taiwan is projected to lose a working-age population of about 6.67 million people in two waves of retirement in the coming years, as the nation confronts accelerating demographic decline and a shortage of younger workers to take their place, the Ministry of the Interior said. Taiwan experienced its largest baby boom between 1958 and 1966, when the population grew by 3.78 million, followed by a second surge of 2.89 million between 1976 and 1982, ministry data showed. In 2023, the first of those baby boom generations — those born in the late 1950s and early 1960s — began to enter retirement, triggering
One of two tropical depressions that formed off Taiwan yesterday morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. The weather system is expected to move northwest as it builds momentum, possibly intensifying this weekend into a typhoon, which would be called Mitag, Lee said. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is forecast to approach the southeast of Taiwan on Monday next week and pass through the Bashi Channel
NO CHANGE: The TRA makes clear that the US does not consider the status of Taiwan to have been determined by WWII-era documents, a former AIT deputy director said The American Institute in Taiwan’s (AIT) comments that World War-II era documents do not determine Taiwan’s political status accurately conveyed the US’ stance, the US Department of State said. An AIT spokesperson on Saturday said that a Chinese official mischaracterized World War II-era documents as stating that Taiwan was ceded to the China. The remarks from the US’ de facto embassy in Taiwan drew criticism from the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation, whose director said the comments put Taiwan in danger. The Chinese-language United Daily News yesterday reported that a US State Department spokesperson confirmed the AIT’s position. They added that the US would continue to
The number of Chinese spouses applying for dependent residency as well as long-term residency in Taiwan has decreased, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday, adding that the reduction of Chinese spouses staying or living in Taiwan is only one facet reflecting the general decrease in the number of people willing to get married in Taiwan. The number of Chinese spouses applying for dependent residency last year was 7,123, down by 2,931, or 29.15 percent, from the previous year. The same census showed that the number of Chinese spouses applying for long-term residency and receiving approval last year stood at 2,973, down 1,520,
RSS