armor
US authorizes more arms shipments to Taiwan
Military helicopter to celebrate Taiwan National Day in Taipei. photo
© Daniel Ceng Shou-Yi/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
They are infrared search and tracking systems for F-16 fighter jets and related equipment: The US sells weapons worth around $500 million to Taiwan.
The US has approved another $500 million arms sale to Taiwan. As reported by the US agency DSCA, which is responsible for arms exports, the package includes infrared search and tracking systems for F-16 fighter jets and associated equipment. The business will Improve Taiwan’s ability to counter current and future threats, the US agency said.
The Taiwanese Ministry of Defense thanked for the approval. “These systems will be of great use in maintaining regional stability,” the ministry said in a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
China’s routine dispatching of military planes and drones to Taiwan’s air defense identification zone poses a serious military threat to the island, the ministry said in a statement in Taipei. Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen’s office said in a statement the package marks the 11th US arms sale to Taiwan since President Joe Biden took office in 2021.
Beijing has always reacted angrily to US arms sales to Taiwan. The communist leadership in China regards the independently governed Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic and threatens to conquer it. China is trying to isolate Taiwan internationally and strictly opposes any official contacts with Taiwan from other countries.