US Approves Possible Sale of Anti-Tank Systems Worth $180 million to Chinese Taipei

By Staff, Agencies

As tensions escalate between the US and China over Taiwan, the US State Department has approved the potential sale of anti-tank systems worth an estimated $180 million to Taipei.

In a statement on Wednesday, the State Department said that earlier in the day, it had informed Congress of its approval of the potential sale of Volcano vehicle-launched anti-tank mine-laying systems and related equipment to Taipei.

It further added that the arms would be sold to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office, which is the island's diplomatic outpost in the US.

Northrop Grumman and Oshkosh Corporation are the prime contractors for the potential sale.

“This proposed sale serves US national, economic, and security interests by supporting the recipient's continuing efforts to modernize its armed forces and to maintain a credible defensive capability," the statement said, claiming, “The proposed sale will help improve the security of the recipient and assist in maintaining political stability, military balance, and economic progress in the region."

The move is likely to draw China's anger, which has sovereignty over Chinese Taipei. Under the "one China" policy, almost all world countries recognize that sovereignty, meaning they would not establish direct diplomatic contact with the self-proclaimed government in Taipei.

In a statement, Taiwan's ministry of military affairs said that the potential sale would take effect in about a month and that the systems would help enhance the island's "asymmetric warfare" capacity to make its forces more agile.

“The Chinese Communist Party's frequent military activities near Taiwan have posted [sic] severe military threats to us,” the ministry claimed, adding that the US military sales were the “cornerstone of maintaining regional stability and peace.”