US approves possible sale of military technical aid to Taiwan
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WASHINGTON • The US State Department has approved the potential sale of military technical assistance to Taiwan worth an estimated US$108 million (S$151 million), the Pentagon said on Friday.
China has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control, and the democratically governed island has complained of increased military pressure from Beijing to try to force it to accept its sovereignty.
The United States has only unofficial relations with Taipei. But American law requires Washington to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, and President Joe Biden's administration has vowed to step up engagement with the island.
Taiwan requested the latest assistance, which includes spare and repair parts for tanks and combat vehicles and US government and contractor technical and logistical support, the Pentagon said.
It would also enhance Taiwan's military interoperability with the US and other allies, and the island's armed forces would have no difficulty absorbing the equipment and support, it added.
The State Department notification does not indicate that a contract has been signed or that negotiations have concluded.
But Taiwan's Defence Ministry said the deal was expected to "become effective" within a month.
Meanwhile, an American destroyer sailed near the disputed Spratly Islands yesterday, the US Navy said, its second such "freedom of navigation" operation in a week in the South China Sea.
On Wednesday, China's military said it had "driven away" the same ship, the USS Benfold, when it sailed near the disputed Paracel Islands.
The US regularly carries out what it calls freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea, challenging what it says are restrictions on innocent passage imposed by China and other claimants.
"On July 16, USS Benfold (DDG 65) asserted navigational rights and freedoms in the South China Sea near the Spratly Islands, consistent with international law," the US Navy said in a statement.
China says it does not impede freedom of navigation or overflight, and accuses the US of deliberately provoking tensions.
REUTERS
