US Approves Potential $619M Arms Sale To Taiwan To Check Xi Jinping's Political Muscle

Amid rising political pressure from Xi Jinping's administration, the U.S. on Wednesday approved the potential sale of $619 million worth new weapons to Taiwan.

What Happened: The Pentagon said the U.S. State Department had approved the potential sale of arms and equipment to Taiwan, including missiles for its F-16 fleet.

The new package includes 200 anti-aircraft Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles and 100 AGM-88B HARM missiles that can take out land-based radar stations.

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“The proposed sale will contribute to the recipient’s capability to provide for the defense of its airspace, regional security, and interoperability with the United States,” it said in a statement, reported Reuters. 

The deal is likely to further sour ties between Washington and Beijing.

China has repeatedly dissuaded the U.S. from dealing with the island nation — where it claims sovereignty. 

This deal came at a time when Xi’s government has been ramping up military and political pressure to try and get Taipei to accept Beijing's sovereignty, including staging war games near the island and warplanes into Taiwan's air defense zone.

The island nation on Thursday reported large-scale Chinese air force incursions, for a second day, into its air defense identification zone. The Taiwanese defense ministry said that in the last 24 hours, it had spotted 21 aircraft.

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