US President Donald Trump’s aides support the sale of 60 F-16 warplanes to Taiwan, sources say
- As Washington and Beijing negotiate trade war deal, agreement to ship 60 fighter jets to Taiwan would antagonise mainland China
The US government has given tacit approval to Taiwan’s request to buy more than 60 F-16 Fighting Falcon jets, sources said, a policy reversal that is likely to anger Beijing during talks to end the China-US trade dispute.
Advisers to US President Donald Trump encouraged Taiwan to submit a formal request for the warplane, which it did this month, the sources said. Such a request would need to be formalised by the US state and defence departments, then passed to Congress for approval.
The US, wary of antagonising mainland China, has not sold advanced fighter jets to Taiwan since 1992, when the George HW Bush administration announced the sale of 150 F-16s. In the Barack Obama era, the US rejected a Taiwanese request for new jets, but agreed in 2011 to update the island’s jets.
It was unclear if a potential F-16 sale would become a bargaining chip in trade discussions or was solely a result of the administration’s renewed focus on Taiwan, a long-time US ally.
The White House made no comment on Taiwan’s request, which several sources said also included mobile armour.
In October, Vice-President Mike Pence criticised Beijing’s efforts to chip away at Taiwan’s diplomatic presence overseas, and its increased pressure on private companies to refer to Taiwan as a province of China. The government in Beijing considered the island’s future a “core interest” – more important than almost any issue.
In announcing its request for the planes, Taiwan did not say how many jets it sought. The request followed a lengthy back-and-forth with Washington after the US declined Taiwan’s request for Lockheed’s more modern F-35 Lightning.
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Even if a sale was approved by Congress and a contract was reached with Lockheed, the planes probably would not be going to Taiwan soon.
Carolyn Nelson, a Lockheed spokeswoman, said the first F-16s to be built at a new facility in Greenville, South Carolina, would not roll off the production line until 2021, and those were bound for the Gulf monarchy of Bahrain. The jets were previously built in Fort Worth, Texas.
John Bolton, US National Security Adviser, is a long-time supporter of Taiwan, and some advisers on the National Security Council have urged a more aggressive posture, including sending more warships through the Taiwan Strait.
As president-elect, Trump broke with precedent and offended Beijing by taking a telephone call from Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen and calling into question America’s commitment to the “one-China” policy that underpinned the Richard Nixon era establishment of ties between Beijing and Washington.
Trump has since affirmed US support for “one China”, while also making clear that protecting Taiwan was a priority.
