Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/10/28
By: Matt Yu and Joseph Yeh

Taipei, Oct. 28 (CNA) Taiwan expects to sign a letter of offer and acceptance (LOA), a contract between the U.S. military and a foreign military sales customer, officially sealing the sale of M1A2 tanks next month, Taiwan's defense ministry said Monday.

Lieutenant General Yang Hai-ming (楊海明), chief of staff of the Republic of China Army, made the remarks during a Legislative session when asked by lawmakers about the timetable for the M1A2 deal.

The U.S. Department of State provisionally approved the sale to Taiwan of M1A2 Abrams tanks, Stinger man-portable air defense systems, and other related equipment worth over US$2.2 billion in July.

However, Taiwan's military has not yet received the LOA for the deal, leading to questions from opposition lawmakers on Monday as to whether the sale remains on schedule.    [FULL  STORY]