Taiwan Forces getting arms worth $619 million from US

Taiwan forces are getting some serious uplift in there arsenal as the United States has approved a potential sale of $619 million in new weapons to Taiwan, including missiles for its F-16 fleet, as the country reported a second day of large-scale Chinese air force incursions nearby. The Pentagon announced on Wednesday that the sale of arms and equipment, including 200 anti-aircraft Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM), has been approved. Raytheon Technologies and Lockheed Martin are identified as the principal contractors for the sale.

According to the Pentagon, the proposed sale will contribute to the capability of Taiwan to provide for the defense of its airspace, regional security, and interoperability with the United States. This move is likely to further sour already tense ties between Washington and Beijing, which has repeatedly demanded that such deals should be stopped. As China views them as unwarranted support for democratically governed Taiwan, an island China claims as its own territory.

On Thursday, Taiwan’s defense ministry reported a second day of large-scale Chinese air force incursions into its air defense identification zone, stating that it had spotted 21 aircraft in the last 24 hours. The defense ministry further revealed that the aircrafts, consisting of 17 J-10 fighters and four J-16 fighters, had flown into the southwestern corner of Taiwan’s air defense zone, as depicted in a map released by the ministry.

China has justified its activities in the area as a means of defending its territorial integrity and warning the United States against “colluding” with Taiwan.

Taiwan has been complaining about the increased Chinese military activities near the island for the past three years, as Beijing attempts to assert its sovereignty claims.

The ministry stated that Taiwan’s forces monitored the situation and even dispatched its own planes in response to the Chinese incursions, using the standard language for addressing such incidents. Despite China’s air force flying over the sensitive median line of the Taiwan Strait on an almost daily basis since staging war games near Taiwan in August of last year, none of the aircraft crossed the unofficial barrier between the two sides.

China has not responded to recent activities near Taiwan. However, in January, China announced that it had conducted combat drills around the island to “resolutely counter the provocative actions of external forces and Taiwan independence separatist forces.” It is important to note that no shots have been fired and the Chinese aircraft have only been flying in Taiwan’s ADIZ and not its territorial airspace. The ADIZ is a border area monitored and patrolled by Taiwan giving it more time to respond to any potential threats.

Taiwan’s government has repeatedly extended offers for talks with China, but also emphasizes that the island will defend itself if attacked, and that only the Taiwanese people can determine their own future.