Key information
- Taiwan has received its first delivery of 38 M1A2 Abrams tanks from the United States.
- This marks the arrival of new tanks in Taiwan after a 30-year hiatus, with the remaining 108 units expected to be delivered by 2026.
- The transfer strengthens the United States’ position as Taiwan’s most important ally and main arms supplier.
Taiwan has received its first delivery of 38 M1A2 Abrams tanks from the United States. Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense, which wants to strengthen its military capabilities in the face of potential threats from China, has transferred these tanks to a training base in Hsinchu, south of Taipei.
This delivery marks the arrival of new tanks in Taiwan after 30 years of absence. The government had ordered 108 units in 2019 worth more than $1.2 billion, with the remaining tanks expected to be delivered in 2025 and 2026. Currently, the Taiwanese military has around 1,000 tanks, including locally produced models like the CM Brave Tiger and American-designed M60A3 tanks, the technology of which is increasingly obsolete.
Relations between the United States and Taiwan
The transfer strengthens the United States’ position as Taiwan’s most important ally and main arms supplier, drawing criticism from Beijing, which claims Taiwan as its own territory. At the beginning of November, Taiwan received its first batch of American HIMARS multiple rocket launchers, already used by Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.
Over the past five decades, the United States has supplied Taiwan with military equipment and munitions worth billions of dollars, including F-16 fighter jets and warships. The United States maintains a policy of “strategic ambiguity” regarding possible military intervention should China attack Taiwan. Beijing considers that Taiwan has been an integral part of its territory since 1949 and has not ruled out using force to take control of it. In response, Taiwan allocated a record $19 billion to its defense budget for 2024, with projections pointing to further increases for the coming year.
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