2 pieces of news in one day, be still my heart
U.S. may sell four destroyers to Taiwan
Monday November 25, 3:41 pm ET
WASHINGTON, Nov 25 (Reuters) - The U.S. Defense Department on Monday said it has notified Congress that it may sell four Kidd-class guided missile destroyers and related equipment to Taiwan for about $875 million.
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The Kidd destroyers that may be sold were originally built for Iran but were never delivered because of the 1979 overthrow of the then-Shah. The ships were decommissioned in the late 1990s and mothballed.
The proposed sale would include 248 standard ground-to-air missiles, 32 radar guided Harpoon missiles, support equipment, logistics and services, the Pentagon said in a statement.
"The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not affect the basic military balance in the region," the statement said. The primary contractors include Raytheon Co. (NYSE:RTN - News), Boeing Co. (NYSE:BA - News), and a unit of VSE Corp. (NasdaqNM:VSEC - News).
President George W. Bush approved the sale of the ships in April 2001 as part of a larger arms package that included selling 150 F-16 fighter aircraft and has been pushing the island to close the deal.
China, which considers Taiwan a renegade province that must return to the fold, has objected for some time to the military sales and contacts with the island. Beijing has over the years threatened to take control of the island by force if necessary.
The Bush administration declined to offer Taiwan, separated from China by a narrow strait of water, more advanced ships that could offer ballistic missile defense platforms, the Aegis-equipped Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.
Earlier this month Taiwan's parliament defense committee gave the initial approval to buy the four ships, though the purchase requires approval of the full parliament. |
