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US approves potential $500m sale of military equipment to Taiwan

Published

1 year ago

August 23, 2023

US approves potential 0m sale of military equipment to Taiwan

The deal with Taiwan, which has not yet been finalised, would exacerbate soaring tensions between the US and China.

The United States government has approved a potential $500m sale of military equipment to Taiwan, a move likely to stir simmering tensions with China.

Nevertheless, in a statement (PDF) on Wednesday, the US Department of State sought to quell concerns about the proposed sale, which would include infrared search-and-track systems, munitions support and equipment for F-16 fighter jet programme.

“The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region,” the State Department said in its news release.

The sale is set to be negotiated with the defence and aerospace company Lockheed Martin. A final deal has not yet been signed.

Hours before the announcement, Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen visited a memorial on Kinmen Island, where Taiwan and Chinese forces fought in August 1958 during the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis.

To mark the anniversary of the crisis, Tsai reiterated her plans to bolster Taiwan’s defences.

“In order to keep the peace, we need to strengthen ourselves,” she said. “As such, we need to continue to reform the national defence, push for self-reliance, strengthen our defence capabilities and resilience.”

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-Wen delivered remarks as she visited the island of Kinmen on August 23 [Ann Wang/Reuters]

Those defence ambitions, however, clash with China’s stance towards Taiwan. It considers the self-governing island part of its territory and has hinted it may use force to bring Taiwan under its control.

The US, meanwhile, has not had formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan since 1979, when it chose to instead recognise Beijing as the government of China.

That recognition came with an acknowledgement of Beijing’s “One China” policy, which asserts China’s claim over Taiwan.

But Washington has not taken an official position on Taiwan’s sovereignty, and it continues to have informal relations with the island, including through military aid and sales.

Just last month, the US approved $345m in military aid for Taiwan. It marked the first time US President Joe Biden used his presidential drawdown authority to transfer military supplies from the Pentagon to Taiwan, similar to what has been done for Ukraine.

Biden has indicated several times that the US would defend Taiwan in the event of an “unprecedented attack”.

Tensions between his administration and that of Chinese President Xi Jinping have soared in recent months, particularly as prominent Taiwan officials passed through the US.

China has denounced these “transit” stops as opportunities for Taiwan officials to meet with their US counterparts. But the US has dismissed the transits as routine layovers, warning China against “overreacting“.

President Tsai herself stopped in the US as she travelled to Belize and Guatemala earlier this year, meeting US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California on her way home.

And Taiwan’s Vice President William Lai passed through the US earlier this month, during a trip to attend the inauguration of Paraguay’s new president.

Those visits prompted China to put its military on “high alert”. It responded to Lai’s recent stops in New York City and San Francisco by organising war games around Taiwan, as a “stern warning” to the island’s separatist forces.

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World

Italian state railways plans 1.3 bln euro investment in solar plant

Published

3 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Press Room

Italian state railways plans 1.3 bln euro investment in solar plant

Italian state railways Ferrovie dello Stato plans to invest 1.3 billion euros ($1.36 billion) in a photovoltaic plant with an initial 1 gigawatt (GW) capacity that would cover 19% of its energy needs by 2029, the CEO said in a newspaper interview.

World

Christmas in Puerto Rico is a 45-day celebration with caroling, festive decorations, family feasts and more

Published

3 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Press Room

Christmas in Puerto Rico is a 45-day celebration with caroling, festive decorations, family feasts and more

Christmas, Navidad in Puerto Rico, extends far beyond Dec. 25.

The island proudly proclaims itself as having the “longest holiday season in the world,” according to the website Discover Puerto Rico.

On average, the holiday festivities in Puerto Rico last about 45 days, per the source, commencing right after Thanksgiving, and stretching all the way through mid-January.

The Christmas season in Puerto Rico typically lasts around 45 days. (iStock)

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The holiday season in Puerto Rico is full of rich traditions beloved by families.

One tradition those who visit Puerto Rico will immediately notice during the holiday season is decorations.

In Puerto Rico, decorations are typically put up by Thanksgiving, and kept up until the season concludes in mid-January, with opportune picture moments at every corner.

Parrandas, Christmas caroling, is a holiday staple.

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Carolers choose houses of family and friends to visit, typically starting around 10 p.m., performing aguinaldos (traditional Christmas songs), with not only their voices, but often with instruments as well, according to Discover Puerto Rico.

The group you begin caroling with is likely not the same group you end with.

In Puerto Rico, when carolers visit a house, they’ll often stop inside for conversation, food and drink before moving to the next residence.

Coquito is a popular beverage enjoyed during the holiday season in Puerto Rico. Coconut, vanilla and rum are among the ingredients. (Mayra Beltran/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

Usually, the residences of the house visited will join the group for the next house, according to Discover Puerto Rico.

CHRISTMAS TREES IN GERMANY WERE DECORATED WITH APPLES INSTEAD OF ORNAMENTS IN THE 1600S FOR ‘ADAM AND EVE DAY’

A night of serenading loved ones can last quite a while, often stretching into the early morning hours of the following day, according to the source.

The biggest day of the holiday season in Puerto Rico actually isn’t Christmas, but instead, the night before.

In Puerto Rico, Dec. 24 is Nochebuena. On that day, loved ones gather for the exchange of gifts, caroling and a large feast.

Many families will also attend a midnight Mass on the day, known as Misa de Gallo.

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After Christmas passes, the festivities go on in Puerto Rico.

Another big event in the holiday lineup is Three Kings Day on Jan. 6, a holiday that “commemorates the visit that the Three Wise Men paid to Jesus after his birth,” according to Discover Puerto Rico.

On the eve of the day, children fill up a shoebox with grass to be left for camels to munch on while the Three Kings leave behind gifts for them, according to PuertoRico.com.

For a particularly festive Three Kings Day, Juana Díaz is the place to go, as it hosts the largest celebration in Puerto Rico for the holiday. In Juana Díaz, there is an annual festival and parade in honor of Three Kings Day that brings together over 25,000 people every year, according to Discover Puerto Rico.

Gifts are primarily exchanged between loved ones on Christmas Eve in Puerto Rico. (iStock)

Then, eight days later is Octavitas, a post-holiday celebration where families get together and celebrate one last time for the season.

The end of the holiday season is marked with the San Sebastián Street Festival.

This festival, spanning over multiple days, takes place in Old San Juan, and is filled with live music, dancing, shopping and parades.

Ashlyn Messier is a writer for Fox News Digital.

World

Small plane crashes into Brazil town popular with tourists, killing 10

Published

4 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Press Room

Small plane crashes into Brazil town popular with tourists, killing 10

Twin-engine plane crashed in largely residential neighborhood of Gramado shortly after takeoff, authorities say.

A small plane has crashed into a tourist hotspot in southern Brazil, killing all 10 people on board and injuring more than a dozen people on the ground, officials have said.

The twin-engine Piper PA-42-1000 hit the chimney of a home and the second floor of a different house before crashing into a shop in a largely residential neighbourhood of Gramado shortly after takeoff from Canela, Brazil’s Civil Defense agency said on Sunday.

Rio Grande do Sul Governor Eduardo Leite told a news conference that the aircraft’s owner and pilot, Luiz Claudio Galeazzi, was killed along with nine members of his family.

Leite said that 17 people on the ground were injured, 12 of whom were still receiving treatment in hospital.

Galeazzi’s company, Galeazzi & Associados, confirmed that its CEO and Galeazzi’s wife and three daughters had died in the crash.

“Luiz Galeazzi will be forever remembered for his dedication to his family and for his remarkable career as a leader of Galeazzi & Associados,” the company said in a post on LinkedIn.

“In this moment of immense pain, Galeazzi & Associados is deeply grateful for the expressions of solidarity and affection received from friends, colleagues and the community. We also sympathize with all those affected by the accident in the region.”

Gramado, located in the Serra Gaucha mountains, is a popular destination for vacationers, especially during the Christmas season.

The crash comes a little more than a year after Brazil suffered its worst air disaster in nearly two decades when a twin-engine plane crashed in the southeastern city of Vinhedo, killing all 62 people on board.