Taiwan to buy 400 US anti-ship missiles to face China threat: Bloomberg

TAIPEI - Taiwan will buy as many as 400 American land-launched Harpoon missiles in the face of rising threat from China, Bloomberg News reported on Monday, citing a trade group’s leader and people familiar with the issue.

The Pentagon announced a US$1.17 billion (S$1.56 billion) contract for 400 of the anti-ship missiles on April 7 without naming the buyer, saying production was expected to be completed by March 2029. According to Bloomberg, the buyer was Taiwan.

The Pentagon declined to comment directly on the deal, but said: “The United States makes available to Taiwan defence articles and services necessary to enable it to maintain a sufficient self-defence capability.”

In 2020, Taiwan said that it planned to buy land-based Boeing-made Harpoon anti-ship missiles as part of its military modernisation efforts.

When asked about the news report, Taiwan Defence Ministry spokesman Sun Li-fang told a regular media conference that the ministry had previously disclosed information about the purchase, adding it was “confident” the deal would continue according to schedule.

A contract with American defence company Boeing that the US Naval Air Systems Command issued on Taiwan’s behalf marks the first time the island will get the mobile, land-launched version, the Bloomberg report said, citing Mr Rupert Hammond-Chambers, president of the US-Taiwan Business Council.

It had previously purchased the ship-launched version.

Boeing referred questions to the Pentagon.

In April,

US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy hosted Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen

in California and stressed the need to accelerate weapons deliveries to Taiwan in the face of rising threats from China.

After the meeting, Mr Mike Gallagher, Republican chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, said he would like to look for ways to get Harpoon missiles to Taiwan ahead of those scheduled to go to Saudi Arabia.
REUTERS