China: US misled Taiwan on potential drone sale deal

Published at 09:00 am November 4th, 2020

File photo: Flags of Taiwan and US are placed for a meeting, in Taipei, Taiwan March 27, 2018 Reuters

Taiwan began negotiating the purchase of the aerial drones with the US in August in order to give itself a tactical edge against China

China’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday the United States has sent out wrong and grave signals to the so-called Taiwan military forces on the potential drone sale deal.

China will take legitimate and necessary responses in light of the changing circumstances, Wang Wenbin, spokesman of the ministry told a regular briefing in Beijing.

The US State Department cleared the potential sale of four sophisticated US-made aerial drones to Taiwan in a formal notification sent to Congress, the Pentagon said on Tuesday, the last step before finalizing a weapons sale that will further anger China.

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Taiwan began negotiating the purchase of the aerial drones with the US in August in order to keep watch over huge swathes of sea and land.

The SeaGuardian surveillance drones have a range of 6,000 nautical miles (11,100 km), far greater than the 160-mile range of Taiwan’s current fleet of drones, potentially giving the island greater capacity to peer into China, observing its air force, missiles and other facilities.

The $600 million deal would be the first such sale since US policy on the export of sophisticated and closely guarded drone technology was loosened by the Trump administration.