U.S. approves potential $1.1 billion arms sale to Taiwan amid China tensions

The package was announced in the wake of China's aggressive military drills around Taiwan

The U.S. State Department has approved a potential $1.1 billion sale of military equipment to Taiwan, including 60 anti-ship missiles and 100 air-to-air missiles, the Pentagon said on September 2, amid heightened tensions with China.

The package was announced in the wake of China's aggressive military drills around Taiwan following a visit to the island last month by U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the highest-ranking U.S. official to travel to Taipei in years.

The sale includes Sidewinder missiles, which can be used for air-to-air and surface-attack missions, at a cost of some $85.6 million, Harpoon anti-ship missiles at an estimated $355 million cost and support for Taiwan's surveillance radar program for an estimated $665.4 million, the Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said.

Read | The big-picture takeaways from China’s Taiwan drills

The principal contractor for the Harpoon missiles is Boeing Co. Raytheon is the principal contractor for both the Sidewinders and the radar program.

“As the (China) continues to increase pressure on Taiwan ... we’re providing Taiwan with what it needs to maintain its self-defense capabilities,” Laura Rosenberger, White House senior director for China and Taiwan, said in a statement.

Reuters reported last month that President Joe Biden's administration was planning new equipment for Taiwan but that the equipment would sustain Taiwan's current military systems and fulfill existing orders, not offer new capabilities, despite the heightened tensions that followed Pelosi's visit.