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Taiwan will receive 135 Boeing precision ground attack missiles. It will also receive 11 rocket launchers with a range of more than 270 kilometers and training for the new team.
China has long refused to recognize the independence of Taiwan, which it considers one of its provinces.
Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, has previously said that “all necessary means” will be used to take back the island.
In recent months, China has increased its military presence near the territory with fighter jets flying along the midpoint of the Taiwan Strait, which serves as an unofficial border.
At a press conference, Yen Teh-fa, Taiwan’s defense minister, said the new weapons would help his country deal with the “threat from the enemy and the new situation.”
He added: “This includes credible combat capability and asymmetric warfare capabilities to strengthen our resolve to defend ourselves.
“We have no intention of having an arms race with the Chinese communist forces and our arms purchases are made according to the needs of our combat operations and the latest situation, as well as strategic consideration.”
Yen argued that the missile sale shows that the United States has “taken note of security in the Indo-Pacific region and security in the Taiwan Strait.”
Beijing reacted angrily to the new announcement of the arms deal.
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While the United States does not have an official diplomatic backing from Taiwan, it remains its closest partner and de facto protector.
Taiwan, which has a population of more than 23 million, is one of the most densely populated countries in the world.
It officially calls itself the Republic of China, unlike the Beijing-based People’s Republic of China, in a dispute dating back to the Chinese civil war.
China’s civil war, fought in two stages between 1927-37 and 1946-49, saw Mao Zedong’s communist forces defeat the nationalists led by Chiang Kai-shek.
After being defeated in mainland China, the Nationalists withdrew to the island of Taiwan forming the basis of their current government.
Tensions between China and the US, its main rival, have risen in recent years due to multiple disputes.
The two superpowers have clashed over trade, the coronavirus, Hong Kong’s treatment of its minority Uyghur, and the South China Sea, as well as Taiwan.
Earlier this year, Beijing imposed new security laws on Hong Kong, a former British colony, stripping the territory of much of its autonomy.
This followed months of pro-democracy protests by Hong Kong residents.
In response, Boris Johnson said that Hong Kong residents entitled to British passports abroad, which includes all those born in the territory before 1997, could come to the UK for extended periods with a path available for British citizenship. complete.
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