The US Department of State has approved a US$1.1 billion sale of military equipment to Taiwan, including 60 anti-ship missiles and 100 air-to-air missiles, prompting China to threaten countermeasures.
The US Department of Defense announced the package on Friday in the wake of China’s aggressive military drills around Taiwan following US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei last month.
The planned sale includes Sidewinder missiles, which can be used for air-to-air and surface-attack missions, for a total of US$85.6 million, Harpoon anti-ship missiles for US$355 million and support for Taiwan’s surveillance radar program for US$665.4 million, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency said.
Photo: CNA
US President Joe Biden’s administration said the package has been under consideration for some time and was developed in consultation with Taiwan and US lawmakers.
“As the PRC [People’s Republic of China] continues to increase pressure on Taiwan — including through heightened military air and maritime presence around Taiwan — and engages in attempts to change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, we’re providing Taiwan with what it needs to maintain its self-defense capabilities,” US National Security Council China and Taiwan Senior Director Laura Rosenberger said in a statement.
Reuters last month reported that the Biden administration was planning new equipment sales to Taiwan, but that it would sustain Taiwan’s current military systems and fulfill existing orders, not offer new capabilities, despite the heightened tensions following Pelosi’s visit.
The Pentagon said the equipment and support would not alter the basic military balance in the Indo-Pacific region.
US officials said the sale does not reflect any change in Taiwan policy.
“These proposed sales are routine cases to support Taiwan’s continuing efforts to modernize its armed forces and to maintain a credible defensive capability,” a state department spokesperson said, requesting anonymity.
In Taipei, Presidential Office spokesman Xavier Chang (張惇涵) yesterday thanked the US government for approving arms deals for the fifth time this year.
The planned arms packages are a demonstration of Washington’s emphasis of Taiwan’s national defense needs and commitment to the nation’s security, he said.
Taiwan does not seek conflict, but it will demonstrate a firm resolve to defend itself and safeguard its sovereignty, Chang said.
The government plans to continue working with like-minded partners to contribute to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region, he added.
The Ministry of National Defense said in a statement that the proposed US arms sales would help the military tackle increasingly “severe threats” posed by China’s “gray-zone” pressure campaign in the seas and airspace near Taiwan by elevating the effectiveness of the nation’s long-range missile warning systems.
US-Taiwan Business Council president Rupert Hammond-Chambers said his organization opposes what he called a “limited approach” to arms sales to Taiwan.
“As the [Chinese] People’s Liberation Army [PLA] recently demonstrated in its mock blockade, the island [Taiwan] faces a range of threats that require a range of capabilities. To deny the island the ability to mount a full defense will, over time, create new gaps in Taiwan’s defenses that the PLA can exploit,” he said in a statement.
The sales must be reviewed by the US Congress, but Democratic and Republican congressional aides said they do not expect opposition.
Meanwhile, Liu Pengyu (劉鵬宇), a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington, said in a statement that the possible arms sale “severely jeopardizes China-US relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.”
“China will resolutely take legitimate and necessary countermeasures in light of the development of the situation,” he said.
Additional reporting by CNA
WAITING GAME: The US has so far only offered a ‘best rate tariff,’ which officials assume is about 15 percent, the same as Japan, a person familiar with the matter said Taiwan and the US have completed “technical consultations” regarding tariffs and a finalized rate is expected to be released soon, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) told a news conference yesterday, as a 90-day pause on US President Donald Trump’s “reciprocal” tariffs is set to expire today. The two countries have reached a “certain degree of consensus” on issues such as tariffs, nontariff trade barriers, trade facilitation, supply chain resilience and economic security, Lee said. They also discussed opportunities for cooperation, investment and procurement, she said. A joint statement is still being negotiated and would be released once the US government has made
NEW GEAR: On top of the new Tien Kung IV air defense missiles, the military is expected to place orders for a new combat vehicle next year for delivery in 2028 Mass production of Tien Kung IV (Sky Bow IV) missiles is expected to start next year, with plans to order 122 pods, the Ministry of National Defense’s (MND) latest list of regulated military material showed. The document said that the armed forces would obtain 46 pods of the air defense missiles next year and 76 pods the year after that. The Tien Kung IV is designed to intercept cruise missiles and ballistic missiles to an altitude of 70km, compared with the 60km maximum altitude achieved by the Missile Segment Enhancement variant of PAC-3 systems. A defense source said yesterday that the number of
‘CRUDE’: The potential countermeasure is in response to South Africa renaming Taiwan’s representative offices and the insistence that it move out of Pretoria Taiwan is considering banning exports of semiconductors to South Africa after the latter unilaterally downgraded and changed the names of Taiwan’s two representative offices, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday. On Monday last week, the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation unilaterally released a statement saying that, as of April 1, the Taipei Liaison Offices in Pretoria and Cape Town had been renamed the “Taipei Commercial Office in Johannesburg” and the “Taipei Commercial Office in Cape Town.” Citing UN General Assembly Resolution 2758, it said that South Africa “recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the sole
Taiwanese exports to the US are to be subject to a 20 percent tariff starting on Thursday next week, according to an executive order signed by US President Donald Trump yesterday. The 20 percent levy was the same as the tariffs imposed on Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh by Trump. It was higher than the tariffs imposed on Japan, South Korea and the EU (15 percent), as well as those on the Philippines (19 percent). A Taiwan official with knowledge of the matter said it is a "phased" tariff rate, and negotiations would continue. "Once negotiations conclude, Taiwan will obtain a better
RSS