Global Courant 2023-04-18 20:23:19
Taiwan is reportedly buying 400 US anti-ship missiles as it faces continued territorial threats from China.
The Pentagon announced a $1.17 billion contract for the Boeing-made Harpoon missiles on April 7, without disclosing the buyer. On Tuesday, Bloomberg News, citing the president of the US-Taiwan Business Council and three other people familiar with the deal, reported that Taiwan is the buyer.
“The supply of defense items by the United States to Taiwan, including support for existing capabilities through foreign military sales and direct commercial sales, is essential to the security of Taiwan,” said Army Lieutenant Colonel Martin Meiners, a spokesman for the ministry. of Defense, to Bloomberg. without specifying the destination of the weapons.
He added that the US “will continue to work with industry to deliver Taiwan’s defense equipment in a timely manner.”
CHINA CONDUCT ‘MAJOR MILITARY ACTIVITIES’ IN YELLOW SEA WHILE RAISED TENSION IN THE REGION
Taiwan Air Force personnel load U.S.-made Harpoon AGM-84 anti-ship missiles on a combat readiness mission during a press-invited event at an air base in Hualien, Taiwan, in August 2022. This version of the Harpoon missile is launched from the air. (Reuters/Ann Wang)
Fox News Digital has contacted the Department of Defense for further comment.
The Pentagon said earlier on April 7 that the order covers “400 RGM-84L-4 Harpoon Block II Update (HIIU) Grade B canister tactical missiles” and other items, including “four blast test vehicles”, logistical support and training.
The order is expected to be completed in March 2029, the Pentagon added. In 2020, Taiwan said it wanted to buy the land-launched Harpoon missiles as part of efforts to modernize its military, Reuters reports.
Wang Wenbin, spokesman for China’s foreign ministry, criticized the deal on Tuesday, saying it will “undermine China’s sovereignty and security interests,” according to Bloomberg.
A spokesman for Taiwan’s defense ministry, meanwhile, would only say that his country is confident the order will be completed on time, Bloomberg added.
US NEEDS WARSHIP INTO TAIWAN STREET AFTER CHINA’S DRILLING IN REGION
The order of the new missiles, reportedly to Taiwan, should be completed by March 2029. (Reuters/Ann Wang)
On Monday, the US conducted a warship through the Taiwan Strait for the first time since China’s recent massive military exercises around Taiwan.
The U.S. 7th Fleet sent the destroyer USS Milius through the strait with guided missiles in what the U.S. called a routine operation, and one that served to emphasize that the strait is “beyond the territorial sea of any coastal state.”
The maneuver came just days after China completed a series of military exercises during which its forces surrounded the self-governing island and simulated attacks against it. China’s exercises came in response to Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s trip to the US and subsequent meeting with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
China has criticized the Harpoon missile deal, with a foreign ministry spokesman saying on Tuesday that it “undermines China’s sovereignty and security interests”. (Reuters/Ann Wang)
China has long claimed sovereignty over the Taiwan Strait and the island itself, something not recognized by US or international law.
USS Milius was the second Western military ship to publicly pass through the strait since the end of the Chinese exercises. The French navy also sent its own warship through the strait last week when one of the country’s legislators visited Taiwan.
Anders Hagstrom of Fox News contributed to this report.
Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.
