Taipei receives American Abrams tanks to defend itself in the event of attack

Taiwan has received 38 Abrams battle tanks from the United States, the island’s Ministry of Defense announced this Monday, December 16, which is trying to strengthen its military capabilities in the face of a possible attack from China.

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The M1A2 Abrams arrived in Taiwan late Sunday and were transferred to an army training base in Hsinchu south of the capital Taipei, the ministry said. These models are the first new tanks to have been delivered to Taiwan in 30 years, according to the Central News Agency.

The government placed an order for 108 units in 2019, worth more than $1.2 billion. The rest should be delivered in 2025 and 2026, a military official told AFP.

Washington has long been Taipei’s most important ally and largest arms supplier, angering Beijing, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory.

Policy of “strategic ambiguity”

The Taiwanese army currently has 1,000 tanks, produced locally like the CM Brave Tiger, or of American design like the M60A3, the technology of which tends to become obsolete.

In early November, Taiwan received its first batch of American HIMARS multiple rocket launchers, already used by Ukraine in its conflict against Russia. Over the past five decades, the United States has sold billions of dollars worth of military equipment and munitions to Taiwan, including F-16 fighter jets and warships.

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The United States has historically maintained a policy of“strategic ambiguity” about possible American military intervention if Taiwan were attacked by China. China and Taiwan have coexisted since 1949 with separate governments, but Beijing claims the island as an integral part of its territory and does not rule out using force to take control of it.

Taipei has allocated a record $19 billion to its defense budget in 2024, and next year’s budget is expected to reach a new peak.