Taiwan To Reportedly Buy 400 Land-Based Missiles To Fend Off Possible Chinese Attack

Taiwan plans to purchase up to 400 land-based Harpoon missiles to defend against a potential attack by Xi Jinping's army. 

What Happened: The purchase is part of a deal that was approved by the U.S. Congress in 2020, a trade group's leader and sources familiar with the matter told Bloomberg.

The report added that Boeing Co. BA previously sold ship-launched Harpoon missiles to Taiwan. This time the US Naval Air Systems Command, on behalf of Taiwan – according to Rupert Hammond-Chambers, president of the US-Taiwan Business Council – awarded a contract to Boeing for the first time for the mobile, land-launched version of the missile.

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This came after the U.S. defense department announced the $1.7 billion contract with Boeing earlier this month but did not mention Taiwan as the purchaser.

Why It Matters: The defense agreement has come amid heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing, particularly over Taiwan, a self-governing island nation where China claims sovereignty. Xi’s army held war drills around Taiwan after President Tsai Ing Wen met U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California this month.

Meanwhile, Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy over the weekend suggested "put a gun in every Taiwanese household" to stop China from invading Taiwan, reported Washington Times. 

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