Trump admin formally approves fighter jet sale to Taiwan amid China trade fightThe Trump administration has formally approved a major $8 billion arms sale to Taiwan involving 66 new F-16C/D fighter jets, the State Department announced Tuesday, a move that comes amid heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing over a range of issues, including trade and Hong Kong.
Administration officials and others familiar with the matter had previously told CNN that the administration had informally approved the deal but some officials had cautioned it could still be pulled back, citing uncertainty surrounding the US relationship with China.
The new weaponry -- the largest US sale to Taiwan in years -- could further erode ties with Beijing, as it views the self-governing island as part of China.
Beijing was quick to slam the proposed sale when it was first reported last week.
On Friday China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Hua Chunying, said the United States' arms sales to Taiwan undermine China's sovereignty and core interests.
China "firmly opposes this," Hua said, demanding that the US refrain from selling the fighter jets and stop military contact with Taiwan.
"It must be stressed that the Taiwan issue concerns China's sovereignty, territorial integrity and security interests," Hua said and added a warning. The "US will have to bear all the consequences" if it does not stop the arms sales, she said.
The deal received strong bipartisan backing from Congress, including from the Democratic chairman and the leading Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
"The sale of F-16s to Taiwan sends a strong message about the US commitment to security and democracy in the Indo-Pacific," Democratic Rep. Eliot Engel of New York and Republican Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas said in a joint statement last week.
As China "steps up its military aggression in the region, we need to do all we can to support our friends around the world," they said, adding they "have every confidence that it will be supported on a bipartisan and bicameral basis."
https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/20/politics/taiwan-fighter-jet-sales/index.html
