The Pentagon announced on Friday that the U.S. State Department has cleared a potential $1.1 billion sale of military arms to Taiwan, including 60 anti-ship missiles and 100 air-to-air missiles.
Following Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan last month—the highest-ranking American politician to visit Taipei in years—and in response to China’s aggressive military exercises around the island, the package was unveiled.
According to the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency, the sale includes Sidewinder Missiles and associated equipment for about $85.6 million, Harpoon Missiles and associated equipment for about $355 million, and support for Taiwan’s surveillance radar programme and associated equipment for about $665.4 million.
The decision shows President Joe Biden’s administration’s ongoing support for Taiwan in the face of pressure from China, which has never ruled out using force to annex the island, which is governed democratically.
According to Taipei, the People’s Republic of China has no legal claim to the island because it has never ruled it.
