Washington has approved a proposed sale of US$120 million in spare parts for ships and systems, and related equipment to Taiwan, the fourth Taipei-bound defense package approved by the administration of US President Joe Biden.
The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement on Wednesday that the sale would include unclassified spare and repair parts for ships and ship systems, logistical technical assistance, US government and contractor representative technical and logistical support, and other related elements of logistical and program support requested by Taiwan.
“The proposed sale will contribute to the sustainment of the recipient’s surface-vessel fleet, enhancing its ability to meet current and future threats,” the statement said.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of National Defense
The Ministry of National Defense expressed “sincere gratitude” for the deal, saying it would help the navy maintain its equipment and replenish supplies to remain combat ready in the face of an increasingly assertive Chinese military.
The sale is expected to be finalized within one month, it added.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the latest deal was the third defense package offered to Taiwan this year and the fourth since Biden took office in January last year.
The first one, in August last year, was a US$750 million deal to purchase 40 Paladin M109A6 self-propelled howitzers.
It was followed by a US$100 million package in February that included equipment and services to support participation in the Patriot International Engineering Services Program and Field Surveillance Program for five years.
The third, in April, was a US$95 million sale of equipment and services aimed at maintaining Taiwan’s US-made Patriot missile air defense system.
The foreign ministry welcomed the latest defense sale, saying it shows that Washington attaches great importance on enhancing Taiwan’s self-defense capability.
It also reflects the US’ continued policy of normalizing defense-related sales to Taiwan, it added.
However, Chieh Chung (揭仲), a researcher with the Association of Strategic Foresight, disagreed that the package shows the US “is serious about Taiwan’s national defense needs.”
The sales are only continuing the standardization of military sales to Taiwan adopted under former US president Donald Trump, as most of the defense packages offered by the Biden administration are spare parts and lack substance, Chieh said yesterday.
The most recent sale provides limited help in increasing Taiwan’s military capability, he said, adding that it fails to resolve doubts about US weapons sales after changes made to orders for the Paladin howitzers.
Whether the US makes any other changes to agreed-upon sales, agrees to sell Taiwan AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles and when the US will agree to sell Taiwan smart naval mines are the three things to watch to determine whether the US is “serious” about Taiwan’s defense needs, Chieh said.
The AGM-158, which could be equipped on upgraded F-16A/Bs, would provide the jets with cross-strait strike capabilities, as the missiles have a target range of 370km, but the US has not agreed to the sale, despite repeated requests for the missiles by the defense ministry since 2014, Chieh said.
The US’ refusal to sell Taiwan smart naval mines — first requested by Taiwan in 2018 and again in August 2020 — is strange because they are the kind of equipment that many in the Biden administration say should be a high-priority purchase to increase Taiwan’s asymmetric warfare capabilities, Chieh said.
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
SECOND SPEECH: All political parties should work together to defend democracy, protect Taiwan and resist the CCP, despite their differences, the president said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday discussed how pro-Taiwan and pro-Republic of China (ROC) groups can agree to maintain solidarity on the issue of protecting Taiwan and resisting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The talk, delivered last night at Taoyuan’s Hakka Youth Association, was the second in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. Citing Taiwanese democracy pioneer Chiang Wei-shui’s (蔣渭水) slogan that solidarity brings strength, Lai said it was a call for political parties to find consensus amid disagreements on behalf of bettering the nation. All political parties should work together to defend democracy, protect Taiwan and resist
By refusing to agree spending increases to appease US President Donald Trump, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez threatened to derail a summit that NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte needs to run smoothly for the sake of the military alliance’s future survival. Ahead of yesterday’s gathering in The Hague, Netherlands, things were going off the rails. European officials have expressed irritation at the spoiler role that Sanchez is playing when their No. 1 task is to line up behind a pledge to raise defense spending to 5 percent of GDP. Rutte needed to keep Spain in line while preventing others such as Slovakia
SHIFT PRIORITIES: The US should first help Taiwan respond to actions China is already taking, instead of focusing too heavily on deterring a large-scale invasion, an expert said US Air Force leaders on Thursday voiced concerns about the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) missile capabilities and its development of a “kill web,” and said that the US Department of Defense’s budget request for next year prioritizes bolstering defenses in the Indo-Pacific region due to the increasing threat posed by China. US experts said that a full-scale Chinese invasion of Taiwan is risky and unlikely, with Beijing more likely to pursue coercive tactics such as political warfare or blockades to achieve its goals. Senior air force and US Space Force leaders, including US Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink and
RSS