Taiwan received the first batch of American HIMARS missile launchers, the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense announced today, as quoted by France Press and BTA.
Taipei is seeking to strengthen its defenses against a potential attack from China. Taiwan has purchased 29 units from the United States, with the first eleven having just been delivered, AFP noted.
HIMARS systems were used by Ukraine in its defense against Russia.
It remains unclear how much Taiwan's order is worth, and when it will be fully implemented.
A day ago, Defense Secretary Wellington Ku said that Taiwan has decided to continuously strengthen its self-defense capabilities and that this should be clear to the winner of the US presidential election, whoever it is.
Over the past five decades, the United States has sold Taiwan billions of dollars worth of military equipment and ammunition, including F-16 fighter jets and warships.
Washington is Taipei's most important ally and its biggest arms supplier – a fact that angered China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory.
Donald Trump, who declared himself the winner of the election, has already made it clear that the US will not commit to military defense of Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack.
Trump drew criticism by suggesting that Taiwan "pay" of the United States to protect him. He also accused Taipei of "stealing" business from America in the field of chip manufacturing.
In recent years, China has increased its military pressure on Taiwan. Beijing has not ruled out using force to bring the island under its control. Taipei has allocated a record defense budget of 19 billion US dollars for 2024, and next year's budget will reach a new peak, AFP also notes.