The Beijing regime demands Washington to revoke the sale and threatens “countermeasures”
Amid growing tension with China, the US government has given a new twist by announcing a $1.1 billion arms package for Taiwan. The Xi Jinping regime, in response, has already threatened “countermeasures”, without specifying which ones. Washington’s decision comes a month after Congressional Speaker Nancy Pelosi angered Beijing over a visit to the island that triggered the largest military maneuvers in the Asian giant’s history.
The US announcement also came a day after Taiwanese forces shot down an unidentified commercial drone amid a sudden series of mysterious incursions that have baffled the island following a show of force by Beijing, which it said fired missiles. ballistics over Taipei, the capital.
The new package, which needs congressional approval, includes $665 million for an early warning radar system to help Taiwan track approaching missiles, the State Department said. The island will also allocate 355 million dollars to buy 60 Harpoon Block missiles, capable of tracking and sinking ships if China launched a maritime assault. Also, the shipment includes 85.6 million dollars to acquire more than 100 Sidewinder missiles, emblematic in Western armies for their air-to-air firepower.
Beijing, which regards Taiwan as an “inalienable” part of its territory, urged Washington to “immediately revoke” the sale because it “sends the wrong signals to separatist forces,” said Liu Pengyu, spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in the US. We will take legitimate and necessary countermeasures in light of the development of the situation,” he warned.
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