Taiwan Gets Harpoon Anti-Ship Missiles From US

Taiwan has likely received Boeing-made Harpoon anti-ship missiles. Reportedly, the missiles and a series of land-based launchers are the fruition of a 2020 defence deal with the United States to secure critical capabilities for the island’s defence. As both the island and mainland China see themselves as the rightful rulers of a unified China, both neighbours are locked in an uneasy existence, just sixteen kilometres away from each other in the case of Taiwan’s Kinmen islands.

In addition to the newly delivered missiles, Taiwan is set to receive an aid package worth $567 million dollars from the Biden administration. Notably, the U.S. will draw down existing weapons stocks to supply the island’s military, similar to how the Americans support the Ukrainians. While the content of the package was not disclosed, it likely included equipment such as anti-armour and air defence equipment vital to Taiwan’s porcupine strategy, which aims to make it incredibly difficult for China to take over the island.