A “new air force” is to take flight after the administration of US President Donald Trump approved a sale of F-16V warplanes to Taiwan, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday.
The US Department of State has approved the US$8 billion deal, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency said on Tuesday in an official notification to the US Congress.
Tsai yesterday welcomed the development and expressed thanks to the Trump administration and Congress for their long-standing and firm fulfillment of the promises in the US’ Taiwan Relations Act and the “six assurances.”
Photo: Lu Yi-hsuan, Taipei Times
This is the beginning of a new air force, she said, adding that the nation would continue to improve its air defense capabilities through expansion and improvements to personnel training.
Top air force pilots would have more opportunities to fly the most sophisticated fighter jets and defend Taiwan’s airspace in conjunction with ground-based radar installations, command and control systems and surface-to-air missiles, she said.
Tsai said that she believes strong self-defense capabilities would allow Taiwan to be more confident when facing security challenges and better able to ensure peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and the region.
She added that she has asked Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) to draft a special budget proposal for the deal as soon as possible for review by the Legislative Yuan.
Separately, the Presidential Office commended Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) for expressing thanks to the US for the arms deal on Monday.
National security is a bipartisan issue, the office said, adding that it hopes the budget proposal would receive bipartisan support from lawmakers.
The air force’s frontline fighters have been in service for more than two decades, Presidential Office spokesman Ting Yun-kung (丁允恭) said.
This is the first time since 1992 that Taiwan has been able to purchase new fighters, he said, adding that the government has since 2003 — through three presidents — continuously sought to purchase new warplanes from the US.
Receiving approval this year is a huge breakthrough for the government in terms of national defense and military expansion efforts, he said.
The arms deal would be of tremendous assistance to Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities, Ting said, adding that the US government’s decision is important for security across the Taiwan Strait, as well as regional peace and stability, especially in light of China’s increasing military incursions.
Under the deal, Taiwan would receive the latest version of the fighter, the department said.
Manufacturer Lockheed Martin has said that the newest version, the F-16 Block 70/72, includes many avionics, weapons and radar technologies not in existence when earlier models were created.
It is structurally stronger so that it “can fly and fight to 2070 and beyond,” the firm has said.
The F-16s “are deeply consistent with the arrangements, the historical relationship between the United States and China,” US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement. “Our actions are consistent with past US policy. We are simply following through on the commitments we’ve made to all of the parties.”
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which oversees US foreign military sales, said in a statement that Taiwan’s purchase of the F-16s “will not alter the basic military balance in the region.”
“This proposed sale will contribute to the recipient’s capability to provide for the defense of its airspace, regional security and interoperability with the United States,” it added.
The approval of the sale came as Washington and Beijing face off in tough trade negotiations that economists have said are hurting both of the superpowers, as well as dragging down the global economy.
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Geng Shuang (耿爽) yesterday reiterated a threat to put sanctions on US companies that sell weapons to Taiwan, saying that such sales are a serious interference in China’s internal affairs and a breach of Chinese sovereignty.
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