US agrees to sell $1.1bn in arms to Taiwan, angeri
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China says it will ‘resolutely take legitimate and necessary counter-measures’
The US is selling high-tech military equipment worth $1.1bn (£960m), including anti-ship and air-to-air missiles, to Taiwan amid the ongoing strife with China in a move that has invited a stern response from Beijing.
The sale approved by the US state department was announced by the Pentagon on Friday and comes amid unprecedented tensions between China and Taiwan with Beijing carrying out aggressive military drills around the archipelago following Nancy Pelosi’s visit last month.
The sale includes Sidewinder missiles, which can be used for air-to-air and surface-attack missions, at a cost of some $85.6m (£73m), Harpoon anti-ship missiles at an estimated $355m (£308m) cost and support for Taiwan’s surveillance radar program for an estimated $665.4m (£577m), the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said.
Reacting to the arms deal, Liu Pengyu, the spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington, said in a statement that the arms sale “severely jeopardizes China-US relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.”
“China will resolutely take legitimate and necessary counter-measures in light of the development of the situation,” he said.
The White House says the arms deal has been under consideration for quite some time and was developed in consultation with Taiwan and US lawmakers.
https://www.independent.co.uk/asia/east-asia/...58860.html