skip to contentAdvertisementTaiwan's defense ministry said in a statement that it expected the sales to "take effect" within one month.By: Reuters Washington,November 14, 2025 11:27 AM IST First published on: Nov 14, 2025 at 11:25 AM IST ShareWhatsapptwitterFacebookWashington has formal diplomatic ties with Beijing, but maintains unofficial ties with Taiwan and is the island's most important arms supplier. (File Photo/ Representational)The US approved the sale to Taiwan of fighter jet parts for $330 million, the Pentagon said late on Thursday, marking the first such transaction since President Donald Trump took office in January. “The proposed sale will improve the recipient’s capability to meet current and future threats by maintaining the operational readiness of the recipient’s fleet of F-16, C-130,” and other aircraft, the Pentagon said in a statement.Washington has formal diplomatic ties with Beijing, but maintains unofficial ties with Taiwan and is the island’s most important arms supplier. The United States is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself. Taiwan’s defense ministry said in a statement that it expected the sales to “take effect” within one month.Advertisement“The United States continues to help Taiwan maintain sufficient self-defense capabilities, for which the ministry expresses its gratitude,” it added.The provision of the parts will help maintain the air force’s fighter readiness and bolster air defenses, strengthen defensive resilience and enhance the island’s ability to respond to China’s “gray-zone” incursions, the ministry said.China’s military stages regular missions into the waters and skies around Taiwan, which the government in Taipei terms “gray zone” activities designed to pressure the island but which stop short of actual combat.Most Read1UK suspends some intel sharing with US over boat strike concerns as France says US military operations in Caribbean violate international law2‘World does not understand how dumb he really is’: What Jeffrey Epstein said about Donald Trump in an email exchange3US to tighten visa oversight, Kristi Noem says only ‘right people’ should get in4Bangladesh braces for disruption as Awami League calls for ‘lockdown’ to protest trial against Sheikh Hasina5World Kindness Day 2025: Date, theme, history, significance, and more details6Zohran Mamdani’s transition team draws over 50,000 job applicants: ‘A movement built by and for New Yorkers’China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and has not ruled out the use of force to take control of the island. Taiwan’s government strongly objects to Beijing’s sovereignty claims and says only Taiwan’s people can decide their future. Trump says Chinese President Xi Jinping has told him he will not invade Taiwan while the Republican leader is in office.The announcement of the possible arms sale comes after Trump and Xi met late last month in South Korea in an effort to secure a trade deal. Ahead of the meeting there was a fear in Taipei that there could have been some sort of “selling out” of Taiwan’s interests by Trump to Xi. AdvertisementTop story1UK suspends some intel sharing with US over boat strike concerns as France says US military operations in Caribbean violate international law2‘World does not understand how dumb he really is’: What Jeffrey Epstein said about Donald Trump in an email exchange3US to tighten visa oversight, Kristi Noem says only ‘right people’ should get in4Bangladesh braces for disruption as Awami League calls for ‘lockdown’ to protest trial against Sheikh Hasina5World Kindness Day 2025: Date, theme, history, significance, and more detailsAdvertisementLoading Taboola...