The United States State Department has approved the potential sale of spare parts for F-16 jets and radars to Taiwan for an estimated value of US$385 million, the Pentagon said on Friday (29). The announcement was made one day before Taiwan President Lai Ching-te began a trip to the Pacific.
The United States is required by law to provide Chinese-claimed Taiwan with the means to defend itself, despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties between Washington and Taipei.
Democratically governed Taiwan rejects China’s sovereignty claims.
China has been increasing military pressure against Taiwan, including two rounds of war exercises this year.
The Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said the sale consisted of $320 million in spare parts and support for F-16 fighter jets and active electronically scanned array radars and related equipment.
The State Department also approved the potential sale to Taiwan of enhanced equipment and support for mobile subscribers for about $65 million, the Pentagon reported. The prime contractor for the sale is General Dynamics.
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said it expected the sales to “take effect” within a month and that the equipment would help maintain the readiness of the F-16 fleet and “build a reliable defense force.”
“Taiwan and the United States will continue to strengthen their security partnership and work together to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region,” it said in a statement.
Last month, the United States announced a potential $2 billion arms sales package to Taiwan, including the delivery for the first time to the island of an advanced air defense missile system tested in battle in Ukraine.
The president of Taiwan leaves for Hawaii this Saturday (30), in what is officially a stopover on his way to the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau, three of the 12 countries that do not yet have formal diplomatic ties with Taipei. He will also make a stop in Guam.
Hawaii and Guam are home to large US military bases.
China on Friday called on the United States to exercise “utmost caution” in its relations with Taiwan.
The State Department said it saw no justification for what it called Lai’s private, routine and unofficial transit being used as a pretext for provocation.
This content was originally published in US approves possible arms sale to Taiwan for around US$385 million on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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