Taiwan: first new F-16V fighters arrive amid China threat
54 minutes ago
Two new F-16V Block 70 fighter jets landed in Taiwan on Friday, the first of a batch of 66 US-made planes ordered back in 2019 as the island nation looks to bolster its defenses in the face of threats posed by neighboring China .
The aircraft, which flew via Hawaii and Guam, touched down at Chihhang Air Base near Taitung on Taiwan's mountainous east coast at midday local time (0400 GMT).
The arrival of the fighter jets was delayed by several months due to reported software issues, and Taiwanese Defense Minister Wellington Koo said more were on the way.
"Of course we won't only have delivered these two by year-end," he told reporters in the capital, Taipei, without providing further details.
"At present, I think aircraft are gradually moving through the production line, and there are also aircraft that have passed tests," he said.
The delivery comes amid growing concern in Taiwan regarding the United States ' commitment to arming Taiwan – and a week after US President Donald Trump hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington.
The US insists that there has been no change in policy towards China and Taiwan but Trump has stalled signing off on a new $14 billion package for Taipei. In May, he called it a "very good negotiating chip" in dealings with Beijing, raising fears that Taiwan's security could be traded away.
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