BEIJING (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th July, 2023) Taiwan plans to purchase NASAMS air defense systems from the United States because they demonstrated good performance during the conflict in Ukraine, Taiwanese Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said on Tuesday.
"It is evident from the Russian-Ukrainian conflict that the characteristics of this weapon are really good. So far, there has been no official notification of the acquisition schedule, but work is ongoing," Chiu was quoted as saying by Taiwan's Central News Agency.
The news agency reports that Taiwan's defense budget for 2024 will include the purchase of two NASAMS systems from the US.
The latest escalation around Taiwan took place in April after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen met with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in the United States. Beijing responded by launching massive three-day military drills near the island in what it called a warning to Taiwanese separatists and foreign powers.
Taiwan has been governed independently from mainland China since 1949. Beijing regards the island as its province, while Taiwan maintains that it is an autonomous entity but stops short of declaring independence. Beijing opposes any official foreign contacts with Taipei and regards Chinese sovereignty over the island as indisputable.
