Washington, January 08: The US Defense Department has approved the sale of upgraded missile equipment to Taiwan, despite an opposition by China.
The announcement came late on Wednesday. The deal will allow weapons manufacturer Lockheed Martin Corp to sell Taiwan over 250 advanced Patriot air defense missiles.
The deal rounds off a USD 6.5bn package originally approved by former US President George W. Bush in 2008.
Taiwan estimates that China has up to 1,500 missiles aimed at the self-ruled island, which Beijing claims as its own.
The announcement followed close on the heels of a warning from China.
In a regular briefing on Tuesday, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said Beijing “firmly opposes the US selling arms to Taiwan.”
She also said that Beijing has held what she called “serious consultations” with Washington on the issue.
——Agencies