The U.S. government’s authorization of two arms sales totaling US$295 million is sincerely welcomed by the government and people of Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Dec. 21.
Initiated at the behest of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the U.S., the deals include tactical radio systems, an update to the Advanced Tactical Datalink System and gun mounts.
According to the MOFA, this is the 19th round of arms sales approved by U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration as part of the normalization of arms sales to Taiwan in order to enhance Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities and resilience. The decision underscores Washington’s commitment to Taiwan’s security in accordance with the Taiwan Relations Act and Six Assurances, it added.
The move followed U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s recent remarks stressing Taiwan’s relevance as a global issue, U.S. Department of Defense condemnations of China’s ongoing pressure on Taiwan in its China Military Power Report, and the approval of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 by the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate Dec. 11 and 18, respectively, the ministry added.
The NDAA 2025 includes a security cooperation initiative, the establishment of a Taiwan-U.S. military trauma care program and other new provisions, the MOFA said. It also encourages the U.S. to work with European countries to strengthen relations with Taiwan and back efforts to bolster the country’s defense capabilities while calling for enhanced defense industrial cooperation with Taiwan, the ministry added.
Taiwan is resolutely determined to defense through the enhancement of its self-defense capabilities via military procurement, national defense reforms and the strengthening the whole-of-society defense resilience, the MOFA said. The government will continue to deepen its partnership with the U.S. to safeguard peace, prosperity and stability across the Taiwan Strait and throughout the Indo-Pacific, it added.
Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)
