The defense ministry announced Monday that Taiwan had received 38 U.S.-supplied modernized Abrams battle tanks, which are claimed to be the island’s first new tanks in 30 years.
Beijing, which claims Taiwan as part of its own territory, is incensed that Washington has long been Taipei’s most significant friend and largest arms supplier.
According to the defense ministry, the M1A2 tanks, the first of 108 ordered in 2019, arrived in Taiwan late Sunday and were moved to an army training base in Hsinchu, south of Taipei, the country’s capital.
According to the semi-official Central News Agency, the M1A2s are the first brand-new tanks to be shipped to Taiwan in thirty years.
Approximately 1,000 Taiwan-made CM 11 Brave Tiger and US-made M60A3 tanks, which are becoming less and less relevant, make up Taiwan’s present tank force.
The US military relies heavily on Abrams tanks, which are some of the heaviest in the world.
China, which has not ruled out using force to subjugate the self-governing island, has threatened to invade Taiwan at any time.
The United States should “stop arming Taiwan… and supporting Taiwan independence forces,” China’s foreign ministry said Monday.
According to ministry spokesman Lin Jian, “the Taiwanese authorities’ attempt to seek independence through force and foreign help is doomed to fail.”
“China will vigorously protect its territorial integrity, national security, and sovereignty.” Taiwan’s security capabilities are mostly dependent on US arms shipments, even though it has a domestic defense sector and has been modernizing its equipment.
In 2019, Taiwan requested and allocated the equivalent of about $1.2 billion for the modern M1A2 tanks. According to an army officer who spoke to AFP, the remaining order is anticipated to be delivered in 2025 and 2026.
Although US military exports to Taiwan are legally permitted, sales to Taiwan have been hindered by a huge backlog brought on by Covid-19 supply chain interruptions and US weaponry transfers to Israel and Ukraine.
The Cato Institute, a think tank based in Washington, claims that the backlog has now surpassed $21 billion.
In any conflict with China, Taiwan would be vastly outnumbered in terms of both manpower and weaponry, and it has recently raised its military budget.
In an effort to strengthen its defense strategy, Taipei set a record $19 billion for 2024, and the budget for the following year is expected to reach a new high.
In recent years, China has stepped up its military pressure on Taiwan by often stationing warships and fighter jets throughout the island.
According to Taiwanese officials, China conducted its largest naval exercises in recent memory last week, deploying over 90 ships from the South China Sea to the area around Japan’s southern islands.
According to a previous Taiwan security official, the warships practiced blocking sea channels and simulated attacks on foreign ships.
When questioned at a news briefing on Friday if the maneuvers had actually occurred, Beijing’s defense ministry did not confirm the drills.
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