The Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of China announced today (June 19) that the U.S. government issued a notification to Congress on June 18 Eastern Time regarding the sale of a total of $360.2 million worth of “attack drone missile systems” to Taiwan. The sale includes two types, personnel injury (Switchblade 300) and anti-armor (Altius 600M).
The Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of China stated in a press release today that attack drones (loitering munitions) have become a new tactical option in actual combat in recent years. The military is pursuing a dual approach of procurement and domestic production to accelerate the construction of its combat capabilities, aiming to enhance deterrence capabilities by combining various types of precision missiles.
The Taiwan-U.S. dedicated team continues to work on innovative military sales operational efficiency. This time, the administrative review time has been significantly shortened, and the Ministry of National Defense expressed special gratitude for the U.S. Anhe Group’s efforts to expedite military sales to Taiwan.
In the face of frequent military actions by the Chinese Communist Party around Taiwan, the U.S. has agreed in this arms sale to provide items with reconnaissance and immediate strike capabilities to rapidly respond to threats. Based on the Taiwan Relations Act and the “Six Assurances,” the U.S. government continues to assist Taiwan in enhancing its asymmetric warfare capabilities. Both Taiwan and the U.S. will continue to strengthen their security partnership to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and Indo-Pacific region.
The Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of China emphasized that “preparing for war can prevent war, and being able to fight can stop war.” Peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait require goodwill from the mainland, hoping that the People’s Liberation Army will cease oppressive military actions around Taiwan and contribute to regional stability.
President of the Republic of China, Lai Ching-te, held a press conference today titled “Trust the New Policy, Era of New Taiwan.” In response to questions from the media about the latest U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, he stated that the Chinese Communist Party’s annexation of Taiwan is its national policy. In addition to the use of force, in recent years, it has been employing non-traditional coercive methods to try to subjugate Taiwan. However, Taiwan will not yield, and the Taiwanese people will defend the country’s sovereignty and preserve the democratic and free constitutional way of life.
Lai Ching-te said, “We are very grateful for the conclusions reached at the recent G7 summit, emphasizing that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are essential elements for global prosperity, and urging the Chinese Communist Party to abandon unilateral actions of using coercion to change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, and return to an internationally rules-based order. We also appreciate the recent U.S. arms sales to Taiwan. The U.S. government and Congress have done more to support Taiwan and maintain stability in the Taiwan Strait. Each time the National Defense Authorization Act or Congress passes some plans to stabilize peace in the region, it greatly assists in regional peace and stability.”
Lai Ching-te emphasized, “In the future, we will continue to strengthen Taiwan’s defense capabilities, whether through military procurement or defense self-sufficiency, we will continue to enhance them. More importantly, we will also strengthen economic resilience and stand together with the democratic camp to collectively exert deterrence power to ensure peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”
Vice President of the Republic of China, Hsiao Mei-chin, said, “We are strengthening national defense resilience with elements of defense self-sufficiency, which involves the construction of our own national defense industry and supply chain. We hope to align with the international community, whether in technical cooperation with the international community, or Taiwan’s significant contribution to defense self-sufficient production capacity. This is a goal and direction that we need to continue to strive for.”