[ad_1]
And last month, there was talk of a possible deal between Washington and Taipei, including seven major weapons systems, as part of President Donald Trump’s administration’s strategy to increase pressure on Beijing.
Two sources familiar with the matter told the agency that the White House was pushing for the sale of three advanced weapons systems and in recent days sent a notice of the deals to Congress for approval.
The two sources noted that the leaders of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee have been informed that the United States Department of State, which oversees military sales abroad, approved three of planned arms deals.
“As a general policy, the United States does not confirm or comment on proposed defense sales or transfers until Congress has been formally notified of them,” said a State Department spokesman. There was no immediate comment from the Taiwan representative’s office in Washington.
According to the agency, the sales that were notified to Congress include the “HIMARS” missile system, long-range air-to-ground missiles of the “SLAM-ER” produced by the company “Boeing Co”, and external sensor equipment for the aircraft ” F-16 “that allow transportation. Images and data directly from the aircraft to monitoring stations on the ground.
Warnings on the use of force
Just a few days ago, US national security adviser Robert O’Brien warned China against any attempt to seize Taiwan by force.
In a lecture at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas, O’Brien said that China is building a huge naval military force that may not have happened since Germany’s attempt to compete with the British Royal Navy before World War I.
He added: “In part, this is aimed at giving them the ability to push us out of the western Pacific Ocean and allow them to do amphibious landings in Taiwan (…) The problem with this is that amphibious landings are very difficult,” referring to the distance. of 160 kilometers between China and Taiwan and the lack of beaches. Landing on the island.
“It is not an easy task, and there is also a lot of ambiguity about what the United States will do in response to China’s attack on Taiwan,” he added, in response to a question about the United States’ options if China tries to control Taiwan.
The United States has a legal obligation to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, but has not made clear whether it will intervene militarily in the event of a Chinese attack, which will likely lead to a much broader conflict with Beijing.
