by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – Taiwan has told the incoming Trump administration it is interested in securing a massive $15 billion military weapons deal with the United States, the Financial Times reported exclusively on Tuesday (November 12).
Taiwanese defense has been brought to the forefront of the world stage amid heightened tensions with China, whose government denies Taiwan’s independence and wants to annex the island nation through war if necessary.
Citing anonymous Taiwanese official sources, the FT said Taipei’s inquiries about a defense deal include interest in procuring the Aegis destroyer, and possibly 60 F-35s, four Advanced Hawkeyes, 10 retired vessels and 400 Patriot missiles.
“There are quite a few big platforms and other items that our armed forces have had their eyes on for a long time, but have not been able to acquire, so there’s a lot to choose from,” a Taiwanese official source told the FT.
In its report, the FT quoted US-Taiwan Business Council president Rupert Hammond-Chambers as noting that such a large deal “could look like a down payment that would attempt to get off on the right foot with the new administration.”
Reporting on the matter, the Taipei Times noted: “In his first term, Trump approved 11 packages to Taiwan worth US$21 billion, including F-16 jets and tanks, with the administration under US President Joe Biden also approving US$7 billion in deals.”
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