The Biden administration is going ahead with a fresh Taiwan arms sale that could potentially be worth around $180 million the State Dept. has revealed. The sale is going ahead despite a protest from china. It is expected to escalate ongoing tension between Beijing and the renegade island nation.
The Taiwan arms sale consists of the Volcano anti-tank mine layers. The weapons system and related equipment that comprise this installment of the Taiwan arms sales with be worth $180 million.
The weapon is capable of dispersing anti-personnel and anti-tank mines from both ground vehicles and helicopters. The announcement by the State Dept. indicates that the Taiwan arms sale would comprise only the vehicle-borne version of the weapon system. This type of general-usage weapon is expected to act as a deterrent against a Chinese invasion and even deter a potential invasion.
China Has Responded To The Taiwan Arms Sale By Sending Dozens Of Aircraft And Ships Violating The Border
China retaliated by sending 71 aircraft and 7 ships toward the island nation, which it claims as its territory, within a space of 24 hours. China has stepped up its provocation of Taiwan in recent years with top Chinese leaders claiming that Taiwan would have no choice but to capitulate shortly.
The People Liberation Army, the military wing of the ruling Communist Party, has been sending planes and ships regularly in violation of Taiwanese territory. On Sunday, within 12 hours starting at 6 a.m. local time, 47 Chinese planes violated the middle line of the 100-mile-wide Taiwan Strait. This line has been unofficially accepted by both nations as the boundary line years earlier.
China also conducted live ammunition drills in August responding to the visit by Nancy Pelosi, the American House Speaker. The Chinese Defense Ministry has revealed that they would continue to launch regular missions unless Taiwan stops provoking enmity and confrontation between the nations.
