The US weapons Taiwan wants to bolster its defences
As Washington signals its eagerness to sell more weapons to the self-ruled island, here are three items that top its shopping list
A senior official Pentagon official’s comments last week that the United States is moving towards a “more normal foreign military sales relationship” with Taiwan could signal that the self-ruled island will be able to boost its defence capabilities with US military hardware.
Randall Schriver, the assistant secretary of defence for Asian and Pacific security affairs, said the Trump administration would push for more arms sales to Taiwan, a move that would be bitterly opposed by the Chinese government.
Beijing sees the self-ruled island as part of its own territory to be reunified, by force if necessary, and criticised the announcement last month that the US planned to sell US$330 million worth of arms to the island.
China has stepped up diplomatic and military pressure on Taiwan since the independence-leaning President Tsai Ing-wen took office two years ago, while Tsai in turn has promised to increase defence spending.
In light of these developments, here are the three US items at the top of Taiwan’s shopping list.
Submarine technology and weapons systems
Taiwan has long-sought to purchase the necessary technology and parts to upgrade its ageing submarine fleet and build its own indigenous submarines.
