The US Department of State on Wednesday approved a US$75 million weapons sale package to Taiwan, while visiting US lawmakers expressed optimism over addressing the backlog in arms deliveries.
The Taiwan Advanced Tactical Data Link System Upgrade Planning and related equipment have been approved, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a news release.
The agency delivered the required certification notifying the US Congress of the possible sale on the same day, it said.
Photo: Cheng I-hwa, Bloomberg
Taiwan has requested to buy “Foreign Military Sales (FMS) Cross Domain Solutions (CDS); High Assurance devices; Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers; communications equipment; requirements analysis; engineering; technical services; and other related elements of logistics and program support,” it said.
Implementation of the proposed sale would require an estimated 200 US government personnel and 200 US contractor representatives to travel to Taiwan to provide engineering and technical support services, as well as program and technical reviews, it said.
The proposed sale would help Taiwan enhance its communications and network security, and enable the secure flow of tactical information through the infrastructure it provides, it said.
By supporting Taiwan’s continuing efforts to modernize its armed forces and maintain a credible defensive capability, the proposed sales “serves US national, economic and security interests,” it added.
In Taipei, Presidential Office spokeswoman Lin Yu-chan (林聿禪) yesterday thanked the US government for continuing to fulfill its commitments to Taiwan’s security based on the Taiwan Relations Act and the “six assurances.”
The announcement by US President Joe Biden’s administration of its 13th foreign arms sales to Taiwan demonstrates the importance Washington attaches to Taiwan’s defense needs and the rock-solid partnership between the two nations, she said.
At the forefront of the democratic alliance’s defense, Taiwan will continue to demonstrate its determination to defend itself, strengthen its defense autonomy and safeguard democracy and freedom, she said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said that the Biden administration’s continuation of its policy of normalizing arms sales to Taiwan would help bolster the nation’s defense and deterrence capabilities.
Taiwan will continue to deepen its close security partnership with the US to jointly defend the rules-based international order, and maintain peace, stability and prosperity across the Taiwan Strait and in the Indo-Pacific region, it added.
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday said that Taipei had asked Washington to help upgrade the data link systems for Taiwan’s C4ISR (command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) architecture.
The proposed sale would improve joint combat effectiveness and establish military interoperability, it said.
Institute for National Defense and Security Research analyst Shu Hsiao-huang (舒孝煌) said that the US would conduct a complete assessment of Taiwan’s military through the proposed sale
The armed forces have many domestically made weapons systems, which have to be interoperable with US-made weapons to achieve maximum effect, he said.
The announcement came before a US delegation led by US Representative Mike Gallagher, chair of the US House of Representatives Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the US and the Chinese Communist Party, arrived in Taiwan.
Gallagher told reporters yesterday that ensuring the delivery of foreign military sales to Taiwan is the most important thing the US can do “to deter China and reduce its aggression.”
Calling for continued lethal assistance to Ukraine and applying the lessons learned in the European country to the Indo-Pacific region, he said the US should revitalize its defense industrial base to be able to “surge production of and stockpile critical munitions” in the region.
Finding creative solutions to the backlog of arms deliveries to Taiwan is “absolutely doable going forward,” he said.
The committee is also deliberating the feasibility of weapons coproduction in Taiwan, which would be “a potentially great partner” for producing 155mm artillery, delegation member and US Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi said.
Additional reporting by Wu Su-wei
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 12:37pm today, with clear shaking felt across much of northern Taiwan. There were no immediate reports of damage. The epicenter of the quake was 16.9km east-southeast of Yilan County Hall offshore at a depth of 66.8km, Central Weather Administration (CWA) data showed. The maximum intensity registered at a 4 in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳) on Taiwan’s seven-tier scale. Other parts of Yilan, as well as certain areas of Hualien County, Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Hsinchu County, Taichung and Miaoli County, recorded intensities of 3. Residents of Yilan County and Taipei received
Taiwan has secured another breakthrough in fruit exports, with jujubes, dragon fruit and lychees approved for shipment to the EU, the Ministry of Agriculture said yesterday. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency on Thursday received formal notification of the approval from the EU, the ministry said, adding that the decision was expected to expand Taiwanese fruit producers’ access to high-end European markets. Taiwan exported 126 tonnes of lychees last year, valued at US$1.48 million, with Japan accounting for 102 tonnes. Other export destinations included New Zealand, Hong Kong, the US and Australia, ministry data showed. Jujube exports totaled 103 tonnes, valued at
BIG SPENDERS: Foreign investors bought the most Taiwan equities since 2005, signaling confidence that an AI boom would continue to benefit chipmakers Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) market capitalization swelled to US$2 trillion for the first time following a 4.25 percent rally in its American depositary receipts (ADR) overnight, putting the world’s biggest contract chipmaker sixth on the list of the world’s biggest companies by market capitalization, just behind Amazon.com Inc. The site CompaniesMarketcap.com ranked TSMC ahead of Saudi Aramco and Meta Platforms Inc. The Taiwanese company’s ADRs on Tuesday surged to US$385.75 on the New York Stock Exchange, as strong demand for artificial intelligence (AI) applications led to chip supply constraints and boost revenue growth to record-breaking levels. Each TSMC ADR represents
TRUST: The KMT said it respected the US’ timing and considerations, and hoped it would continue to honor its commitments to helping Taiwan bolster its defenses and deterrence US President Donald Trump is delaying a multibillion-dollar arms sale to Taiwan to ensure his visit to Beijing is successful, a New York Times report said. The weapons sales package has stalled in the US Department of State, the report said, citing US officials it did not identify. The White House has told agencies not to push forward ahead of Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), it said. The two last month held a phone call to discuss trade and geopolitical flashpoints ahead of the summit. Xi raised the Taiwan issue and urged the US to handle arms sales to
RSS