US-Taiwan 1.8 billion USD arms sale: Key Facts

The United States approved the potential sale of three weapon systems to Taiwan, as well as missiles and artillery. The three weapon systems could have a total cost of USD 1.8 billion.

The United States also approved 11 truck-based rocket launchers created by Lockheed Martin Corp called a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System for an approximately cost of USD 436.1m.

It also approved 135 AGM-84H Standoff Land Attack Missile Expanded Response (SLAM-ER) Missiles & associated instruments created Boeing, for an estimated cost of USD 1.008bn, and six MS-110 Recce external sensor pods made by Collins Aerospace for jets, at an approximate value of USD 367.2ml.

What is China’s stand over the deal?

China has condemned US plans to trade advanced weapons – including High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and 135 AGM-84H Standoff Land Attack Missile Expanded Response (SLAM-ER) Missiles, to Taiwan.

What is China-Taiwan issue?

The Taiwanese Parliament has passed the Anti-Infiltration Bill which sent the associations between Taiwan and China to a new low. This has been passed on account of the news that China has been affecting the media in Taiwan through illicit means, to affect the upcoming political elections.

Tsai Ing-wen, the President of Taiwan has dropped the Chinese President Xi Jinping’s call for coalition under a “One Country Two Systems” approach and vowed to safeguard the island nation’s sovereignty. She continued that the Hong Kong model would not work for Taiwan, as self-government and dictatorship cannot exists side-by-side in the same country. China, however, claims Taiwan as its region and wants to bring it below Beijing’s control even if it needed the use of force.

What is One-China Policy?

The One China policy acknowledged the long-held location in Beijing that there is only one China, and that Taiwan is a region of that.

According to the One-China policy: Any country desiring to initiate diplomatic relations with Beijing must receive there is only “One China” and cut off all formal tie-ups with Taiwan. The One China policy is also different from the “One China principle”, which hold on that both Taiwan and mainland China are inalienable regions of a sole “China.”

What is One Country Two Systems of China?

The principle of “one country, two systems” was first developed by Deng Xiaoping as a way to restore the connection between the socialist mainland with anciently Chinese territories namely Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau—that had socialist economies.  This system was at first proposed to Taiwan.

The Taiwanese had requested that if they were to received the one country, two systems approach:

The People’s Republic of China should be relabeled as the Republic of China. The Democratic elections would have to be managed in mainland China. This was still not recieved by mainland China. He had proposed that there would be a single China. The different Chinese regions such as Hong Kong and Macau could resume their own economic and administrative systems.  The rest of China uses the socialism with Chinese aspects system.  In 1984, the concept was cherished in the Sino-British Joint Declaration, in which the two countries acknowledge that Britain would entrust sovereignty of Hong Kong to China. China is in charge of defence and foreign affairs but Hong Kong runs its own inner security.

India-US Defence Deals

US arms sales to India have rushed 5-fold in the last five years.  India has come out as second largest importer of arms. Make-in-India in defence sector and the domestic defence industry have hurt.

In April 2018, the Indian Air Force issued a Request for Information (RFI) for 114 jetfighters at a cost of USD 18 billion. The tender obtain responses from the same six competitors which had earlier bid for the tender that went to Dassault of France, plus another. The new tender calls for acquisition of 18 aircrafts in flyaway state, with the remaining ninety-six to be built in India undergoing strategic partnership.

Lockheed is contributing it’s F-16 Fighting Falcon Block 70. The newcomer is Sukhoi Corporation, with its Su-35.

Month: Current Affairs - October, 2020