Face of Nation : The United States State Department has approved the sale of 66 F-16 fighters to Taiwan, in a move expected to anger Beijing.
Taiwan will get the latest version of the Lockheed Martin-built fighter, the F-16C/D Block 70, in the $8bn deal, the State Department announced on Tuesday. Before the announcement, US President Donald Trump declared that “somebody had to take China on”.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement that Trump had green-lighted the proposed sale after Congress was notified last week. The F-16s “are deeply consistent with the arrangements, the historical relationship” between the US and China, Pompeo said.
“Our actions are consistent with past US policy. We are simply following through on the commitments we’ve made to all of the parties.” The sale also includes 75 General Electric Co engines, as well as other systems.
US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch, a Republican, welcomed the sale, saying “these fighters are critical to improving Taiwan’s ability to defend its sovereign airspace, which is under increasing pressure from the People’s Republic of China”.
Taiwan’s plan to upgrade its air defences comes amid increasing Chinese military incursions into its airspace. Beijing regards Taiwan as a part of China awaiting reunification, but the island is self-ruled and is a close ally of the US.
