Trump Administration Proposes a $1.3 Billion Taiwan Arms Package
(Bloomberg) —President Donald Trump’s administration proposed its first arms sales to Taiwan, a $1.3 billion package of early-warning surveillance radar, anti-radar air-launched missiles and naval torpedoes.
While China objects to any arms sales to Taiwan, the proposal that the administration sent to Congress Thursday is smaller than many past deals, such as a $5.9 billion package offered by President Barack Obama in 2011. Nor does it include advanced weapons that Taiwan has sought, such as Lockheed Martin Corp.’s F-35 fighter jet.
The sales, announced by the Defense Department Thursday after the State Department approved the package, can move forward unless Congress acts to block them within 30 days.
As president-elect, Trump shocked officials in Beijing by accepting an unprecedented phone call in December from Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen. Trump later reaffirmed U.S. support for the long-standing policy recognizing that both sides are part of “One China.”
No U.S. president has agreed to sell advanced fighter jets to Taiwan since George H.W. Bush in 1992. China suspended military talks with the U.S. in 2010 after Obama’s administration announced a $6.4 billion arms sale — and that deal that didn’t include the new F-16 fighters Taiwan wanted.
Raytheon Co. would be a prime beneficiary of the new package. It could sell Taiwan 56 of its AGM-154C JSOW stand-off air-launched glide missiles, valued at $186 million; 60 of its HARM anti-radar missiles, valued at $148 million; and 46 of its Mk-48 Advanced Technology heavy torpedoes, valued at $250 million.
In addition, the proposal includes upgrades to Taiwan’s AN/SLQ-32(V)3 ship electronic warfare systems, valued at $80 million, for four Kidd-class destroyers; $125 million in Standard Missile-2 air-defense weapons and upgrades; and $175 million in upgrades of 168 Mk-46 torpedoes into the MK-54 version.
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