US approves new $80bln sale of F-16 fighter jets to Taiwan
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Taiwan's Defense Ministry claims this would boost the combat and defense needs of its air force against China, and that the sale will be completed next month in July.
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Taiwan's F-16 fighter jets fly in close formation over the president's office during National Day celebrations in front of the Presidential Building in Taipei, Taiwan, October 10, 2021. (AP)
The Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency confirmed that the State Department has sold F-16 fighter jet spare and repair parts to Taiwan for an estimated $80 million.
The Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) argued in a statement that this would "improve the security of the recipient and assist in maintaining political stability, military balance, and economic progress in the region."
On its end, Taiwan's Defense Ministry claimed this would boost the combat and defense needs of its air force, adding that the sale will be complete next month in July.
"With normalized gray-zone harassments, the Chinese Communist Party attempted to squeeze our naval and air training space and response time, as well as limiting our rights of self-defense," it said in a statement.
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Taiwan Defense Minister Wellington Koo told reporters in parliament on Thursday that the island must enhance its self-defense capabilities for "effective deterrence" in the US-Indo-Pacific strategy.
"But for Taiwan-U.S. military cooperation, there are many things we can only do, not tell," he said.
Committing to the contract
This comes after Michael McCaul, Chairman of the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee said on May 27 that the United States will uphold its commitments to Taiwan under the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, including the supply of weapons.
"The three commitments in that historic legislation that stand out to me. Number one, to provide Taiwan with weapons of a defensive character. Second, to ensure that the future of Taiwan will be determined by peaceful means. Third, the United States must maintain the ability to resist any use of force or coercion that would threaten the security of the people of Taiwan That is what we stand for and that is what we continue to stand for," McCaul said during a joint press conference with Lai, broadcast by Formosa TV.
Back in August, the US Department of State granted approval for a potential sale of infrared search and track systems for F-16 fighter jets, along with other equipment, to Taiwan. This move, with a maximum potential value of $500 million, was confirmed by the Pentagon.
The statement claimed that this proposed sale would not disrupt the fundamental military equilibrium in the region. However, this decision could potentially cause tensions with Beijing, as China has persistently urged the US, Taiwan's primary arms provider, to cease weapon sales to the island nation.
The contract's principal contractor will be Lockheed Martin Corp, the manufacturer of the F-16 fighter jets. President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan recently announced an anticipated 3.5% year-on-year increase in military expenditure, aiming to enhance defense capabilities.
Relations between the US and China, the world's largest economies have deteriorated rapidly in the past years. The trade war on China, which was launched during former US President Donald Trump's term, was stretched by Biden's administration to include a military escalation against Beijing in the South China Sea, including violating the One China policy and deepening relations with Taiwan.
