Taiwan welcomed the U.S. State Department's latest approval of arms sales involving three batches of weapons systems and said it believes the deals will strengthen Taiwan's defense capabilities. "The foreign ministry received formal notice from the U.S. government regarding the arms sales," ministry spokesman Joanne Ou said during a regular press briefing, CNA reports. According to Ou, this would be the 8th round of arms sales by the U.S. government to Taiwan under President Donald Trump. On the other hand, the Six Assurances, made by then-U.S. President Ronald Reagan to Taiwan in 1982, pledges not to set a date for ending arms sales to Taiwan and not to consult with China on arms sales to Taiwan. He added that aside from foreign arms procurements, Taiwan will continue to push for the development of indigenous weapons systems.

Source: The Standard October 22, 2020 09:00 UTC