MY ENEMY’S ENEMY

U.S. Approves Major Taiwan Arms Sale, Risking China’s Fury

Beijing said it “firmly opposed” the sales, which could rake in billions of dollars for tanks and surface-to-air missiles.

The Trump administration has approved arms sales worth billions of dollars with Taiwan, risking the fury of the Chinese government as a trade dispute between the world's two biggest economies rolls on. The State Department had initially approved two potential sales—one of Abrams tanks which are valued at up to $2 billion and another of surface-to-air Stinger missiles estimated to cost up to $223 million, according to CNN. Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen said in March that the weapons would “greatly enhance our land and air capabilities, strengthen military morale and show to the world the U.S. commitment to Taiwan's defense.” China's Defense Ministry said it was “firmly opposed to U.S. arms sales to Taiwan and US military contact with Taiwan.” The Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency insisted neither sale would “alter the basic military balance in the region.”