The US has approved a potential US$2 billion arms sale package to Taiwan, the Pentagon said on Friday, including the delivery for the first time to the nation of an advanced air defense missile system battle-tested in Ukraine.
The US is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, despite their lack of formal diplomatic ties.
China has been stepping up military pressure against Taiwan, including holding a new round of war games around the nation this month, the second time it has done so since President William Lai (賴清德) took office in May.
Photo: Screen grab from Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace’s Web site
The Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said that the new sale consisted of US$1.16 billion in missile systems, and radar systems worth an estimated US$828 million.
The principal contractor for the missile system would be RTX Corp, the Pentagon said.
“This proposed sale serves US national, economic and security interests by supporting the recipient’s continuing efforts to modernize its armed forces and to maintain a credible defensive capability,” it said in a statement. “The proposed sale will help improve the security of the recipient and assist in maintaining political stability, military balance and economic progress in the region.”
The missile system sale is for three National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) medium-range air defense solutions that include the advanced AMRAAM Extended Range surface-to-air missiles, it added.
The NASAMS system has been battle-tested in Ukraine and represents a significant increase in air defense capabilities that the US is exporting to Taiwan.
A US government source told reporters on condition of anonymity that NASAMS was a new weapon for Taiwan, with Australia and Indonesia the only others in the region currently operating it.
In Taipei, the Ministry of National Defense welcomed the announcement, noting the “proven” use of NASAMS in Ukraine and saying it would help Taiwan’s air defense capabilities in the face of China’s frequent military maneuvers.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) thanked the US government for approving the new arms sale package to Taiwan, and for continuing to honor its security commitments to Taiwan, in accordance with the Taiwan Relations Act and the “six assurances.”
It is the 17th arms sale package to Taiwan under the administration of US President Joe Biden, MOFA said, adding that it demonstrates Washington’s firm support for improving Taiwan’s security resilience and deterrence capabilities, as well as the importance it attaches to peace and stability in the Strait.
In view of China’s recent large-scale military drills surrounding Taiwan, frequent live-fire exercises and infringement of freedom of navigation, MOFA said that it welcomes the US and like-minded countries taking concrete actions to show support for maintaining the peaceful and stable “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait.
Taiwan would continue to demonstrate its self-defense determination, enhance defense capability and resilience, firmly defend its free and democratic lifestyle, and achieve peace through strength, it added.
China has called Lai a “separatist” and has rebuffed his repeated calls for talks.
Lai rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims, saying only Taiwanese can decide their future.
The Chinese government yesterday denounced comments Lai made on Friday in Kinmen County about how no “external force” can change Taiwan’s future.
“The future of Taiwan lies in the complete reunification of the motherland,” China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said in a statement.
Additional reporting by Lee I-chia
GEARING UP: An invasion would be difficult and would strain China’s forces, but it has conducted large-scale training supporting an invasion scenario, the report said China increased its military pressure on Taiwan last year and took other steps in preparation for a potential invasion, an annual report published by the US Department of Defense on Wednesday showed. “Throughout 2023, Beijing continued to erode longstanding norms in and around Taiwan by employing a range of pressure tactics against Taiwan,” the report said, which is titled “Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China (PRC) 2024.” The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) “is preparing for a contingency to unify Taiwan with the PRC by force, if perceived as necessary by Beijing, while simultaneously deterring, delaying or denying
‘LAGGING BEHIND’: The NATO secretary-general called on democratic allies to be ‘clear-eyed’ about Beijing’s military buildup, urging them to boost military spending NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte mentioning China’s bullying of Taiwan and its ambition to reshape the global order has significance during a time when authoritarian states are continuously increasing their aggression, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday. In a speech at the Carnegie Europe think tank in Brussels on Thursday, Rutte said Beijing is bullying Taiwan and would start to “nibble” at Taiwan if Russia benefits from a post-invasion peace deal with Ukraine. He called on democratic allies to boost defense investments and also urged NATO members to increase defense spending in the face of growing military threats from Russia
PEACEFUL RESOLUTION: A statement issued following a meeting between Australia and Britain reiterated support for Taiwan and opposition to change in the Taiwan Strait Canada should support the peaceful resolution of Taiwan’s destiny according to the will of Taiwanese, Canadian lawmakers said in a resolution marking the second anniversary of that nation’s Indo-Pacific strategy on Monday. The Canadian House of Commons committee on Canada-Chinese relations made the comment as part of 34 recommendations for the new edition of the strategy, adding that Ottawa should back Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations. Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, first published in October 2022, emphasized that the region’s security, trade, human rights, democracy and environmental protection would play a crucial role in shaping Canada’s future. The strategy called for Canada to deepen
TECH CONFERENCE: Input from industry and academic experts can contribute to future policymaking across government agencies, President William Lai said Multifunctional service robots could be the next new area in which Taiwan could play a significant role, given its strengths in chip manufacturing and software design, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) chairman and chief executive C.C. Wei (魏哲家) said yesterday. “In the past two months, our customers shared a lot of their future plans with me. Artificial intelligence [AI] and AI applications were the most talked about subjects in our conversation,” Wei said in a speech at the National Science and Technology Conference in Taipei. TSMC, the world’s biggest contract chipmaker, counts Nvidia Corp, Advanced Micro Devices Inc, Apple Inc and
RSS