The US has approved a planned $619 million arms shipment to Taiwan. There are several hundred missiles, including for F-16 fighter jets, as well as launch and control systems and other equipment, as the Pentagon announced in Washington. “The proposed sale will contribute to the receiver’s ability to defend its airspace, regional security and interoperability with the US.”
Since 1979, the United States has committed itself to the island’s democratic republic’s ability to defend itself, which means above all arms deliveries, which anger the Chinese leadership. Beijing regards Taiwan only as part of the People’s Republic and threatens to conquer it. The government in Taipei, on the other hand, has long regarded the island as independent.
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry thanked for the planned arms delivery that will help the Air Force defend the airspace against Chinese planes. The deal comes amid heightened tensions and increased deployments by the Chinese Navy and Air Force near Taiwan.
On Tuesday and Wednesday alone, more than three dozen Chinese planes entered Taiwan’s air surveillance zone (ADIZ), the Defense Ministry in Taipei reported.
