US approves $1 billion in new arms sales to Taiwan

Trump administration has approved sale of more than a billion dollars worth of advanced weaponry for Taiwan in a move that will enr China and furr exacerbate tensions between Washington and Beijing that have are already heated over issues such as trade, Tibet, Hong Kong and South China Sea.

State Department anunced Wednesday it had greenlighted sale of 135 precision land attack missiles, associated equipment and training to Taiwan to improve its defense capabilities. pack is worth just over a billion dollars, it said in a statement. missiles are made by Boeing.

“This proposed sale serves U.S. national, ecomic and security interests by supporting recipient’s continuing efforts to modernize its armed forces and to maintain a credible defensive capability,” it said in a statement. “ proposed sale will help improve security of recipient and assist in maintaining political stability" as well as military balance and ecomic progress in region.

“ recipient will be able to employ a highly reliable and effective system to increase ir warfighting effectiveness as needed, which can counter or deter aggressions by demonstrated precision against surface targets,” it said.

China regards Taiwan as a renegade province and has reacted furiously to previous U.S. arms sales to island. Trump administration has stepped up military and diplomatic support for Taiwan in recent months, including offering significant backing for its efforts to combat coronavirus pandemic.

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