The US State Department approved the potential sale of $1.1 billion worth of missiles, radar system and related equipment to Taiwan, according to the Pentagon. The equipment, which include Sidewinder and Harpoon anti-ship missiles, are intended to bolster Taiwan’s naval and air defense capabilities.
The potential sale comes after increased tension between China and Taiwan following visits by US officials to Taiwan, considered by China to be theirs, and increased military activity around the small island nation by Chinese aircraft and ships.
According to US sources the weapons will “not alter the military balance in the region,” while China has said that should the sale occur it will take “legitimate and necessary countermeasures.”
