U.S. State Department approves $2.4 billion more in potential arms sales to Taiwan - Pentagon | Reuters
▻https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-usa-taiwan-arms-idUKKBN27C0AB
A Harpoon anti-ship missile is launched by the guided missile destroyer USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) during a ship sinking exercise off the coast of Florida.
Photo by Patrick Grieco, US Navy.
The U.S. State Department has approved the potential sale of 100 Boeing-made Harpoon Coastal Defense Systems to Taiwan in a deal that has a potential value of up to $2.37 billion (1.8 billion pounds), the Pentagon said on Monday.
The move comes days after the State Department approved the potential sale of three other weapons systems to Taiwan, including sensors, missiles and artillery that could have a total value of $1.8 billion, prompting a sanctions threat from China.
China will impose sanctions on Lockheed Martin, Boeing Defense, Raytheon and other U.S. companies it says are involved in Washington’s arms sales to Taiwan, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said Monday.
“We deplore Beijing’s efforts to retaliate against U.S. and foreign companies for their sales that support Taiwan’s legitimate self-defense requirements,” U.S. State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement.
Monday’s formal notifications to Congress by the State Department covered the proposed sale of up to 100 Harpoon Coastal Defense Systems (HCDS), which includes 400 RGM-84L-4 Harpoon Block II Surface Launched Missiles to serve as coastal defense cruise missiles.
Taiwan said the arms sales showed the island’s defense was of “great importance” to the U.S. government.
“Facing China’s military expansion and provocation, Taiwan will continue to enhance the modernization of defense capacity and speed up asymmetric warfare capabilities,” it said in a statement.