Yahoo News
Date: September 24, 2018
By: Reuters
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. State Department has approved the
Taiwan Air Force’s F-16 fighter jets fly during the annual Han Kuang military exercise at an army base in Hsinchu 2015. REUTERS/Patrick Lin
possible sale to Taiwan of spare parts for F-16 fighter planes and other military aircraft worth up to $330 million, the Pentagon said on Monday.
U.S. military sales to self-ruled Taiwan, which China claims as its sacred territory under its “one China” policy, is an irritant in the relations between the world’s two largest economies.
“This proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security and defensive capability of the recipient, which has been and continues to be an important force for political stability, military balance, and economic progress in the region,” the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement.
China is deeply suspicious of U.S. intentions toward Taiwan, which is equipped with mostly U.S.-made weaponry and wants Washington to sell it more advanced equipment, including new fighter jets. [FULL STORY]
