By HUIZHONG WU
BANGKOK (AP) — Taiwan on Friday received the first two of 65 F-16V fighter jets ordered from the U.S., the island’s air force said, following years of delays.
The two F-16V Block 70 jets landed at Chihhang Air Base in Taitung. There are 63 more to be delivered. The self-ruled island, which is also claimed by Beijing as part of its territory, placed an order for the F-16Vs in 2019.
Taiwan largely purchases arms from the U.S., its largest unofficial ally, to boost its defenses in the face of a military threat from China. China sends fighter jets and ships toward the island almost daily. Taiwan’s defense minister said on Tuesday that the island remains in continuous discussions with the U.S. about their weapons sales.
The shipment is the first in a long list of backlogged U.S. orders worth almost $30 billion. The F-16Vs represent $8 billion, or roughly 25% of the entire backlog, according to Taiwan Security Monitor at George Mason University.
The order had been delayed partly owing to production and supply chain issues.
The delivery of the jets comes as the island waits for the U.S. administration to approve an additional $14 billion arms package.
That package has stalled after U.S. President Donald Trump in May met with China’s President Xi Jinping in May. U.S. defense sales to Taiwan are a major source of tension between the U.S. and China. Beijing has repeatedly called for Washington to halt sales to Taiwan, with Xi personally raising the issue with Trump.
Associated Press journalist Johnson Lai in Taipei, Taiwan contributed to this report.
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