TAIPEI: Taiwan has received 38 advanced Abrams battle tanks from the United States, the defense ministry said Monday, reportedly the island’s first new tanks in 30 years. Washington has long been Taipei’s most important ally and biggest arms supplier—angering Beijing, which claims Taiwan as part of its own territory. The M1A2 tanks—the first batch of 108 ordered in 2019 - arrived in Taiwan late Sunday and were transferred to an army training base in Hsinchu, south of the capital Taipei, the defense ministry said.

The M1A2s are the first new tanks to be delivered to Taiwan in 30 years, the semi-official Central News Agency said. Taiwan’s current tank force consists of around 1,000 Taiwan-made CM 11 Brave Tiger and US-made M60A3 tanks, technology that is increasingly obsolete. Abrams tanks, which are among the heaviest in the world, are a mainstay of the US military. Taiwan faces the constant threat of an invasion by China, which has refused to rule out using force to bring the self-ruled island under its control. China’s foreign ministry on Monday urged the United States to “stop arming Taiwan... and supporting Taiwan independence forces”.

“The Taiwan authorities’ attempt to seek independence through force and foreign help is doomed to fail,” ministry spokesman Lin Jian said. “China will firmly defend its national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity.” While it has a home-grown defense industry and has been upgrading its equipment, Taiwan relies heavily on US arms sales to bolster its security capabilities. Taiwan requested the state-of-the-art M1A2 tanks in 2019, allocating the equivalent of more than $1.2 billion for them. The rest of the order is expected to be delivered in 2025 and 2026, an army official told AFP.

While US arms supplies to Taiwan are enshrined into law, a massive backlog caused by COVID-19 supply chain disruptions and US weapons shipments to Ukraine and Zionist entity have slowed deliveries to Taiwan.

The backlog now exceeds $21 billion, according to Washington think tank Cato Institute. Taiwan would be massively outgunned in terms of troop numbers and firepower in any war with China and in recent years has increased spending on its military. Taipei allocated a record $19 billion for 2024 and next year’s budget is set to hit a new high as it seeks to bolster its defence approach.

China has increased military pressure on Taiwan in recent years, regularly deploying fighter jets and warships around the island. Taiwanese authorities said last week that China had held its biggest maritime drills in years, with around 90 ships deployed from near the southern islands of Japan to the South China Sea. The vessels simulated attacks on foreign ships and practiced blockading sea routes, a Taiwan security official said previously. Beijing did not confirm the drills and its defense ministry did not say whether the manoeuvres had taken place when asked at a press conference on Friday.

Rare trip to Taiwan

Meanwhile, a group of Chinese politicians arrived in Taiwan on Monday for a rare visit, as relations between Beijing and Taipei remain fraught. China considers Taiwan part of its territory and in recent years has ramped up military and political pressure on the self-ruled island to assert its claims. Beijing severed high-level communications with Taipei in 2016 when former president Tsai Ing-wen of the Democratic Progressive Party, which rejects China’s claims over Taiwan, took office.

Deputy head of Shanghai’s Taiwan Affairs Office Li Xiaodong and Shanghai Vice Mayor Hua Yuan arrived in Taipei on Monday for an annual forum hosted this year by the Taipei City government, which is led by the Beijing-friendly main opposition party Kuomintang. They are part of a delegation of around 90 people attending the one-day event on Tuesday, which the Taipei City Mayor’s Office said will see agreements signed on healthcare and red panda exchanges.

The Chinese delegation has agreed to keep a “low profile” throughout their trip, Taiwan’s top China policy body, the Mainland Affairs Council, said. The gathering comes after Taiwanese officials said China last week held its biggest maritime drills in years, with around 90 ships deployed from near the southern islands of Japan to the South China Sea. The vessels simulated attacks on foreign ships and practiced blockading sea routes, a Taiwan security official said previously. Beijing did not confirm the drills and its defense ministry did not say whether the maneuvers had taken place when asked at a press conference on Friday. — AFP