The US Department of State has approved the potential sale of ammunition and logistics support to Taiwan in two separate deals with a combined value of up to US$440 million, the Pentagon said on Thursday.
Taiwan has asked to purchase 30mm ammunition, including high-explosive incendiary tracer rounds, multipurpose rounds and training rounds, for about US$332.2 million, the Pentagon said.
The principal contractors would be Alliant Techsystems Operations and General Dynamics, it said.
Photo: REUTERS
Taiwan has asked to buy a Blanket Order Cooperative Logistics Supply Support Arrangement at an estimated cost of US$108 million, the Pentagon said.
The logistics arrangement would support the purchase of spare and repair parts for wheeled vehicles, weapons and other equipment, it said.
The Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency on Thursday notified the US Congress of the possible sales.
In Taipei, the Presidential Office thanked the US for honoring its commitments to Taiwan’s security by providing the nation with defensive weapons in accordance with the Taiwan Relations Act and the “six assurances,” Presidential Office spokeswoman Olivia Lin (林聿禪) said yesterday.
The arms sales “fully demonstrated that the US government attaches great importance to Taiwan’s national defense needs,” she said.
Taiwan would continue to demonstrate its determination to defend itself and strengthen its defense capabilities to safeguard the security and interests of the nation, she said.
Taiwan would continue to cooperate with like-minded countries to ensure peace, stability and prosperity in the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region, she added.
The Ministry of National Defense said that the sales would boost the nation’s resilience against China’s “expanding threats of military and gray zone tactics,” which it said has posed “severe threats” to Taiwan.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also issued a statement to thank the US for the arms sales.
“Taiwan has an unwavering determination to defend itself in the face of China’s continued military expansion and provocative actions,” the ministry said.
Taiwan would continue to strengthen its self-defense capabilities while deepening its close security partnership with the US to jointly safeguard the rules-based international order, and ensure regional peace, stability and prosperity, it said.
Meanwhile, the defense ministry said that 11 Chinese military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait yesterday morning.
At about 8am, 24 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft were spotted near Taiwan, and 11 of them crossed the unofficial border between Taiwan and China, the ministry said in a statement.
The 24 PLA aircraft included J-11, J-10 and J-16 jets, as well as Sukhoi Su-30s and H-6 bombers, it said.
The ministry said it scrambled planes to monitor the Chinese aircraft, issued radio warnings, mobilized combat air and naval patrols, and deployed defensive missile systems.
Five Chinese naval vessels were also detected near Taiwan yesterday, it said, without giving any details of the location or movement of the ships.
Additional reporting by Liu Tzu-hsuan
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off Yilan at 11:05pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter was located at sea, about 32.3km east of Yilan County Hall, at a depth of 72.8km, CWA data showed There were no immediate reports of damage. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Yilan County area on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. It measured 4 in other parts of eastern, northern and central Taiwan as well as Tainan, and 3 in Kaohsiung and Pingtung County, and 2 in Lienchiang and Penghu counties and 1
FOREIGN INTERFERENCE: Beijing would likely intensify public opinion warfare in next year’s local elections to prevent Lai from getting re-elected, the ‘Yomiuri Shimbun’ said Internal documents from a Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) company indicated that China has been using the technology to intervene in foreign elections, including propaganda targeting Taiwan’s local elections next year and presidential elections in 2028, a Japanese newspaper reported yesterday. The Institute of National Security of Vanderbilt University obtained nearly 400 pages of documents from GoLaxy, a company with ties to the Chinese government, and found evidence that it had apparently deployed sophisticated, AI-driven propaganda campaigns in Hong Kong and Taiwan to shape public opinion, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported. GoLaxy provides insights, situation analysis and public opinion-shaping technology by conducting network surveillance
Taiwan is gearing up to celebrate the New Year at events across the country, headlined by the annual countdown and Taipei 101 fireworks display at midnight. Many of the events are to be livesteamed online. See below for lineups and links: Taipei Taipei’s New Year’s Party 2026 is to begin at 7pm and run until 1am, with the theme “Sailing to the Future.” South Korean girl group KARA is headlining the concert at Taipei City Hall Plaza, with additional performances by Amber An (安心亞), Nick Chou (周湯豪), hip-hop trio Nine One One (玖壹壹), Bii (畢書盡), girl group Genblue (幻藍小熊) and more. The festivities are to
Auckland rang in 2026 with a downtown fireworks display launched from New Zealand’s tallest structure, Sky Tower, making it the first major city to greet the new year at a celebration dampened by rain, while crowds in Taipei braved the elements to watch Taipei 101’s display. South Pacific countries are the first to bid farewell to 2025. Clocks struck midnight in Auckland, with a population of 1.7 million, 18 hours before the famous ball was to drop in New York’s Times Square. The five-minute display involved 3,500 fireworks launched from the 240m Sky Tower. Smaller community events were canceled across New Zealand’s
RSS