Taiwan plans to order four advanced Patriot PAC-3 MSE surface-to-air missile systems from the United States, the Taipei Times reported, citing an unnamed defense official.
According to the source, the proposed order will be financed through the special defense procurement budget. Taiwan intends to receive launchers, up to 500 missiles and a radar system.
The first batch of PAC-3 MSE air defense systems is expected to be delivered by the end of this year and deployed in Hualien and Taitung counties, the newspaper reported. Currently, according to various sources, Taiwan operates nine Patriot PAC-3 anti-aircraft missile batteries covering Taipei, the port of Kaohsiung and other key installations and military bases.
Taiwan has been governed by its own administration since 1949, when the remnants of the Kuomintang forces led by Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975) fled there after losing the Chinese Civil War. According to Beijing's official position, supported by most countries, including Russia, it is one of the regions of China.
Washington broke off diplomatic relations with Taipei in 1979 and established them with the People's Republic of China. Although it recognizes the "one China" policy, the United States maintains contacts with the Taipei administration and supplies it with weapons that, according to Chinese estimates, have exceeded $70 billion in recent years.