Taiwan has received its first batch of 38 advanced Abrams battle tanks from the US in a significant boost to the island’s land defence capabilities.
The self-governed island has received the main battle tanks at a time when it is facing increasing aggression and a rise in military drills from China.
The M1A2 tanks arrived in Taiwan late on Sunday and were sent directly to an army training base in Hsinchu in the southern part of the capital Taipei, the defence ministry said on Monday.
A further 42 Abrams tanks, considered the heaviest in the world, are due to be delivered next year, and at least 28 the year after.
Taipei had placed an order for 108 Abrams tanks in 2019, worth about $1.4bn. The initial batch of 38 represent the first new tanks the island has received in 30 years, according to the island’s state-owned Central News Agency.
It also acquired 40 M-109 A6 self-propelled howitzers and TOW 2B and Javelin anti-tank missiles, the Taiwanese defence ministry had said in its annual report.
The acquisition was intended to build the equivalent of one armoured brigade and “strengthen ground-strike and fire-support capabilities,” the ministry had said at the time.
China considers Taiwan part of its territory, and has threatened to “reunite” the island with the mainland by force if necessary. Despite this, economic ties between the two – especially with China’s financial hub of Shanghai – remain robust, with an emphasis on high-tech exports.
Between Monday and Tuesday, China sent 10 military aircraft and seven aircraft toward Taiwan, according to Taiwan’s defence ministry. Of these, four of the aircraft crossed the middle line of the Taiwan Strait that forms an unofficial border between the sides.
Last week, Taiwanese officials said that China was simulating a blockade with one string of ships off the island and a second one farther out at sea, in waters between Japan’s Okinawa islands and the northern Philippines.
In the face of China’s repeated displays of military might, Taiwan has been upgrading its defences including the latest version of the F-16 fighter jet, missiles, submarines and artillery.
