The Pentagon announced on Wednesday that the US State Department has approved two potential sales of F-16 parts and accessories to Taiwan, worth a total of US$300 million.
These deals will be the fourteenth arms sale from the US to the island nation since President Joe Biden took office in 2021.
The Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said the packages will include standard (US$220 million) and non-standard (US$80 million) spare and repair parts, components, consumables and accessories for F-16 aircraft, as well as other technical and logistics support services, Focus Taiwan reported, citing press releases.
DSCA said the proposed sale will further strengthen Taiwan's needs to “maintain operational readiness to address current and future threats.” [Taiwan’s] Fleet of F-16 aircraft.”
According to the DSCA, the package will also promote regional economic development, political stability, military balance and Taiwan's security.
According to the DSCA, the US Congress has been notified of the potential sale. The permission does not mean a deal has been signed for the equipment, reports Focus Taiwan.
The announcement of the sales package comes at a critical time, as the Chinese Communist Party continues to disrupt Taiwan's air and maritime training areas and response times through gray-zone tactics, and restrict Taiwan's right to self-defense.
In response, Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) said on Thursday that the sale would help maintain Taiwan's combat capabilities.
The self-governing island's newly-sworn-in President Lai Ching-te recently issued a stern warning to China, asking Beijing to stop intimidating the island nation, which China has been claiming as its own.
China has also stepped up military exercises after Lai was sworn in as president of the island nation, raising tensions in the region.
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