US OKs $1B arms sale to Taiwan as tensions rise with China

By MATTHEW LEE
AP Diplomatic Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has announced a more than $1 billion arms sale to Taiwan as U.S.-China tensions escalate over the status of the island. The sale includes $355 million for Harpoon air-to-sea missiles and $85 million for Sidewinder air-to-air missiles. The largest portion of the sale, however, is a $655 million logistics support package for Taiwan’s surveillance radar program, which provides defense warnings. The State Department says the equipment is necessary for Taiwan to “maintain a sufficient self-defense capability.” Acrimony and strident rhetoric between the U.S. and China over Taiwan have increased sharply since House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island last month.