Taiwan will also allocate $355 million to buy 60 Harpoon Block missiles, capable of tracking and sinking ships if China were to launch a maritime assault.
The operation also includes US$85.6 million to acquire more than 100 Sidewinder missiles, emblematic in Western armies for their air-to-air firepower, the AFP news agency said.
The spokesman for the Presidential Office of Taiwan, Chang Tun-han, thanked Washington in a statement for its “continued support for the defense and security” of the island.
“This arms sale will not only help our soldiers combat the gray area of coercion, it will also enhance early warning capabilities against long-range ballistic missiles.”he added.
The Asian giant, which considers Taiwan as part of its territory, called on the White House to “immediately revoke” the sale, which “sends the wrong signals to the separatist forces of ‘Taiwan independence’ and severely damages relations between States. United States and China, and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” said Liu Pengyu, spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington.
“China will resolutely take legitimate and necessary countermeasures in light of the development of the situation,” he added. A State Department spokesman called the package “essential to Taiwan’s security” and insisted the United States continues to recognize Beijing and not Taipei.
“This proposed sale is business as usual to support Taiwan’s continued efforts to modernize its military and maintain a credible defensive capability,” he argued, adding: “The United States will continue to support a peaceful resolution of cross-strait differences, in accordance with the wishes and best interests of the people of Taiwan.
Source: Ambito
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