The U.S. State Department has approved the sale to Taiwan of F-16 fighter jet spare and repair parts for an estimated $80 million, the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said on Wednesday.
The sale will help “improve the security of the recipient and assist in maintaining political stability, military balance, and economic progress in the region,” the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in a statement.
Taiwan’s defence ministry expressed gratitude to the United States, stating that the sale would enhance the combat and defence capabilities of its air force. The ministry indicated that the sale is expected to be concluded in July.
“With normalized grey-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-defence,” it said in a statement
China has continuously urged the United States, Taiwan’s primary arms provider, to cease the sale of weapons to the island, which Beijing regards as its territory despite strong objections from Taipei.
The Chinese defence ministry did not provide an immediate response to a request for comment.
Speaking to reporters in parliament on Thursday, Taiwan’s Defense Minister Wellington Koo emphasized the necessity for Taiwan to enhance its self-defence capabilities to contribute to the “effective deterrence” within the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy.
“But for Taiwan-U.S. military cooperation, there are many things we can only do, not tell,” he said.