US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday touted US President Donald Trump’s arms sales to Taiwan as he underscored how the administration has supported allies and friends worldwide.
“We’ve stood by our friends in Taiwan. Over the past 3 years the Trump Administration authorized more than $15 billion in arms sales to Taiwan. The Obama Administration? $14 billion dollars in sales over 8 years. #DoTheMath,” Pompeo wrote on Twitter in a post that included a photograph of Taiwanese soldiers.
In other tweets, he enumerated the US’ support for religious minorities in Iraq, and partners in Singapore, India and other countries, as well as the administration’s efforts to protect people from the security risk posed by the Chinese Communist Party.
Photo taken from Twitter
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) thanked Pompeo for his “precious friendship” and the Trump administration for its strong support.
The Trump administration has announced 11 arms sales to Taiwan over the past four years, offering weapons and equipment Taiwan needs for self-defense, which not only ensures national security, but the Indo-Pacific region’s peace and stability, Ou said in a statement.
The sales include F-16V jets, drones, missiles, military communications systems and related equipment.
Building on the steadfast and friendly foundations, the ministry looks forward to working hand-in-hand with the next US administration to continue deepening bilateral ties in defense and other areas, Ou said.
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Hua Chunying (華春瑩) yesterday expressed Beijing’s unhappiness over Pompeo’s moves.
“A handful of anti-China politicians in the #US have been staging a final show of madness. They’ll stop at nothing to sabotage China-US relations for selfish gains,” Hua wrote on Twitter on Thursday after Pompeo announced that US Ambassador to the UN Kelly Craft is to visit Taiwan.
Hua yesterday called on Pompeo to look at the situation at home and “mind your own business.”
“It is a tragedy & failure today you still cannot see who & what is the real big threat to your country. You will be remembered as the byword of lies and madness in history,” Hua wrote.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday said it had deployed patrol vessels to expel a China Coast Guard ship and a Chinese fishing boat near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. The China Coast Guard vessel was 28 nautical miles (52km) northeast of Pratas at 6:15am on Thursday, approaching the island’s restricted waters, which extend 24 nautical miles from its shoreline, the CGA’s Dongsha-Nansha Branch said in a statement. The Tainan, a 2,000-tonne cutter, was deployed by the CGA to shadow the Chinese ship, which left the area at 2:39pm on Friday, the statement said. At 6:31pm on Friday,
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, would pose a steep challenge to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against a full-scale invasion, a defense expert said yesterday. Institute of National Defense and Security Research analyst Chieh Chung (揭仲) made the comment hours after the PLAN confirmed the carrier recently passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct “scientific research tests and training missions” in the South China Sea. China has two carriers in operation — the Liaoning and the Shandong — with the Fujian undergoing sea trials. Although the PLAN needs time to train the Fujian’s air wing and
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
RSS