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
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