Taiwan and the U.S. have signed a NT$3.06 billion weapons procurement agreement that will provide an uninterrupted supply of ammunition for Taiwan’s naval vessels for the next nine years, including 19 items of ammunition required for naval guns and the shipboard Close-In Weapons System (CIWS).
According to the latest announcement on the “Taiwan Government Electronic Procurement Network”, the Taiwan Ministry of National Defense’s military delegation to the United States and the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) have recently signed this procurement case and announced it on November 6, totaling NT$3 billion 65.4 million (about $107 million). The agreement began on Oct. 20, 2020, and will be in effect until the end of September 2029.
According to the Taiwan Navy’s configuration and Taiwan media reports, in addition to missile torpedoes, the Taiwan Navy ships are each equipped with conventional ammunition weapon systems as well as countermeasure attack systems. These include 76mm single-barrel guns (some ships are equipped with two Bofors-L70/40mm single-barrel guns), the MK15 “Phalanx” range weapon system, ASROC anti-submarine rockets, and MK36 jamming racks, among others.
According to a Taiwanese military official, the purchase can meet the nine-year ammunition requirement of the Taiwan Navy, but the purchase does not include precision weapon ammunition such as torpedoes and missiles.
The official added that traditional naval weapons and ammunition are mostly live ammunition for exercises and are in high demand, so regular resupply purchases are needed to maintain operational readiness.
Recent relations between the United States and China have deteriorated sharply to their lowest point in decades, with clashes over security, technology, the Xinguan epidemic, human rights, Hong Kong, and Xinjiang. At the same time, Chinese military aircraft have increased their flights to Taiwan, saying they are a warning to the pro-independence Tsai Ing-wen government, and China’s frequent military actions are believed to have prompted the U.S. Congress to increase bipartisan support for Taiwan.
China has consistently opposed U.S. military sales to Taiwan. At a regular press conference on November 4, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said that the U.S. arms sales to Taiwan seriously violate the one-China principle and the provisions of the three Sino-U.S. joint communiqués, especially the “August 17” communiqué, interfere in China’s internal affairs, seriously undermine China’s sovereignty and security interests, and send a wrong signal to the separatist forces for Taiwan independence. China is firmly opposed to the serious damage to China-US relations and peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. He added that China will make justifiable and necessary responses according to the development of the situation.
Wang’s remarks were in response to the U.S. State Department’s November 3 approval of a $600 million sale to Taiwan of the MQ-9B unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems.
The latest U.S.-Taiwan arms sale contract, worth about $107 million, was not included in the November 6 spokesperson’s statement on the Chinese Foreign Ministry website.
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