DEFENSE/U.S. arms sale approval signals strong backing for Taiwan: Researcher

Taipei, Nov. 14 (CNA) The announcement of a potential US$330 million arms sale to Taiwan by the United States this week sends a strong signal, a defense researcher said Friday.

Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲) of the government-funded Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR) said the latest arms sale involves maintenance of existing equipment and would help Taiwan strengthen its resilience against Chinese gray-zone coercion.

The proposed package includes nonstandard components, spare and repair parts, consumables and accessories, and repair and return support for F-16, C-130, and Indigenous Defense Fighter (IDF) aircraft, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) under the U.S. Department of Defense said in a statement on Thursday.

It also includes U.S. government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services, and other related elements of logistics and program support, the DSCA said.

The DSCA has delivered the required certification notifying Congress of the sale, after the proposal was approved by the State Department, according to the statement.

Su noted that it was the first announcement of an arms sale to Taiwan since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to the White House earlier this year.

Before his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in late October, Trump emphasized that "Taiwan is Taiwan" and said he has great respect for the island, Su said.

Su added that the arms sale announcement sends a clear message of support for Taiwan, dispelling rumors that Trump could have "sold out" the island's interests in a potential deal with China.

Shu Hsiao-huang (舒孝煌), an associate research fellow at the INDSR, said the arms sale is aimed at ensuring that Taiwan's military is able to maintain proper readiness of its aircraft.

Spare parts are just as important as any major equipment, because without effective logistics, the operational capability of weapons platforms cannot be maintained, Shu explained.

With China's threats against Taiwan becoming ever more intense, he said future systems must be capable of countering emerging forms of warfare. Taiwan, therefore, needs to assess its equipment requirements carefully and be clear about "what kind of war it is preparing to fight."