Washington approves the sale of offensive weapons to Taiwan worth $360 million

Washington has approved two massive offensive arms deals for Taiwan worth $360 million, coinciding with escalating tensions with China.

The Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency said yesterday, Tuesday, that the US State Department had approved the sale to Taiwan of the Switch Blade anti-armor and anti-armor attack missile system at a value of $60.2 million.

The US State Department also approved the “potential” sale of up to 291 Altius 600M-V drones, at an estimated cost of approximately $300 million.

Last month, China ended military exercises around Taiwan, threatening “war,” days after what it considered separatist statements by the new Taiwanese president, Lai Ching-te. China has long called on the United States to stop arming Taiwan in order to annex it to the Chinese mainland. While the island has autonomy, China considers it part of its territory.