Seven F-16 fighter jets taxi on a runway at Taiwan's Hualien air base. (Richard Chung/Reuters)

The Washington Post
Date: August 16, 2019
By: Ellen Nakashima and Anne Gearan

The Trump administration is moving ahead with for an $8 billion sale of F-16 fighter jets to Taiwan despite strong objections from China, a U.S. official and others familiar with the deal said Thursday.

The State Department late Thursday submitted the package for informal review, said the people familiar with the sale. It would be the largest and most significant sale of weaponry to the self-governing island in years, and comes amid stalled trade talks and a deteriorating relationship with China.

Lawmakers from both parties had questioned whether the White House would scuttle the sale to soften the ground for a U.S.-China trade deal, or otherwise use the fighter jets as a bargaining chip in deadlocked negotiations.    [FULL  STORY]