US announces £1bn island arms deal
The US has announced a billion dollar arms sale to Taiwan as US-China tensions escalate over the status of the island.
The sale includes Harpoon air-to-sea missiles and Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, the US State Department said.
The largest portion of the arms sale, however, is a logistics support package for Taiwan’s surveillance radar programme, which provides air defence warnings.
Early-warning air defence systems have become more important as China has stepped up military drills near Taiwan, which it regards as an illegal breakaway province.
The US Department of State said the equipment provided was necessary for Taiwan to “maintain a sufficient self-defence capability”. The US Government has criticised Chinese drills as a severe overreaction. It urged Beijing “to cease its military, diplomatic, and economic pressure against Taiwan and instead engage in meaningful dialogue with Taiwan”.
On Thursday, Taiwan’s military said it shot down a drone hovering over one of its island outposts in an incident that underscored the heightened tensions.
China claims Taiwan as its own territory, to be annexed by force if necessary. The sides split after a civil war in 1949 and have no official relations, with China cutting off even informal contacts following the election of independenceleaning Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in 2016.