U.S. does not Confirm Arms Sale to Taiwan

The China Post

17 December 2015

The U.S. State Department refused to comment on a report saying that the United States will soon move ahead with a US$1.83 billion arms sale to Taiwan.
“As a matter of policy, the Department of State does not comment on proposed defense sales or transfers until they have been formally notified to Congress,” said State Department spokesman David McKeeby in reply to a CNA question on the arm sales on Tuesday.

Citing two unnamed U.S. officials, Bloomberg reported Tuesday that the Obama administration was “preparing to move forward” with the arms package that consists of two previously approved Navy frigates, Marine Corps amphibious vehicles, Javelin anti-tank missiles and Stinger anti-aircraft missiles.

It would be the first arms sale to Taiwan since 2011.

… Collin Koh Swee Lean, an associate research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, was quoted by Bloomberg as saying he did not expect the sale to cause much friction in the U.S.-China relationship.

“The pair of frigates is not a major irritant” because they don’t constitute a dramatic or radical leap in Taiwan’s military capability, he told Bloomberg.

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Last updated on 17/12/2015