Taiwan confirms reports of receiving 38 advanced Abramas battle tanks from the US, the defence ministry said on Monday. This is the largest purchase of the island nation in recent decades.
The US has been the largest arms provider and ally to Taipei’s angering Beijing, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory.
The M1A2 tanks—the first batch of 108 tanks ordered in 2018—arrived in Taiwan late Sunday and were transferred to an army training base in Hsinchu, south of the capital Taipei, the defence ministry said.
Taiwan’s current arsenal of tanks consists of around 1,000 Taiwan-made CM 11 brave Tiger
Taiwan’s current tank force consists of around 1,000 Taiwan-made CM-11 Brave Tiger and US-made M60A3 tanks—an increasingly obsolete technology.
Meanwhile, China’s foreign ministry urged the United States to “stop arming Taiwan and supporting Taiwanese independence forces.”.
Its spokesperson, Lin Jian, said that “any attempt by Taiwan to seek independence through force is going to fail miserably.”
In a post on X China’s foreign ministry statement on Monday read, “China will firmly defend its national sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity.”
While it has a homegrown defence industry and has been upgrading its equipment, Taiwan relies heavily on US arms sales to bolster its security capabilities.
Taiwan allocated a record $19 billion for 2024, and next year’s budget is set to hit a new high as it seeks to bolster its defence amid regional tensions with mainland China.
China, on the other hand, has intensified its military presence around the island nation in recent years to crush the Vietnam government in case of possible military confrontations.
Follow us
