US Approves Major Military Deal with Taiwan

The Pentagon announced on Friday that the US Department of State has approved a logistics equipment deal with Taiwan worth around $108 million.

In a statement, the Pentagon said: "The State Department has approved a potential sale of ammunition and logistics support to Taiwan in two separate deals worth $440 million."

Unprecedented Escalation

In an unprecedented escalation, the Taiwanese army confirmed on Tuesday that it would attack Chinese warships and aircraft in a defensive action if they were spotted within Taiwan's 12 nautical mile territorial waters.

Taiwanese Deputy Chief of Staff General Lin Wen-huang warned that Taiwan's armed forces would destroy Chinese People's Liberation Army aircraft and ships if they entered the 12-mile (about 22.2 km) zone near the island.

The comment came after Chinese warplanes were seen flying near the airspace under Taipei's control on Saturday for the first time in six months.

Although the Chinese military has frequently sent planes and ships near Taiwan and flown over the median line, it rarely sends them near the adjacent Taipei area, which is about 44 nautical miles from the median line.

The last time this happened was when eight Chinese warplanes were spotted approaching the neighboring area 24 nautical miles from the Taiwanese coast in December 2022 and January 2023.

It is worth noting that relations between Beijing and Taipei have deteriorated in recent years, and Beijing has intensified its aerial incursions into the Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) in the region for air defense purposes on the island.