The US approved an arms package for Taiwan for the first time in four years on Wednesday. The $1.83 billion deal prompted an angry response from China and threats of sanctions on the US companies which are involved.
Alexander Huang, a strategic studies professor and military specialist at Tamkang University in Taiwan, told Radio Sputnik that the weapons will not be used on issues related to the South China Sea dispute, and that most of them are defensive.
"It will not carry the capability to wage attack against any neighbors."
"We usually have the arms sale announcement every other year, and this time it's a pretty prolonged decision. From Taiwan's perspective it is a long overdue decision, and the contents of the arms sale items have been modest because we see that as a replacement of the obsolete systems, and an urgently necessary replacement of some of our decommissioned weapons systems."
"So I think the US has observed all factors including the US-China relationship, US-Taiwan relationship, and the US strategy of rebalancing towards Asia."
On Wednesday, China's Vice Foreign Minister Zheng Zeguang summoned the chargé d'affaires from the US Embassy in Beijing to protest about the sale of arms to Taiwan, after the Obama administration notified Congress it had approved the sale.
"Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory. China strongly opposes the US arms sale to Taiwan," Zheng stated.
"To safeguard our national interests, China has decided to take necessary measures, including imposing sanctions against the companies involved in the arms sale."
