US State Department approves $4.05-billion HIMARS sale to Taiwan

The US State Department has approved a $4.05 billion sale of HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO).

The proposed sale is consistent with US law and policy, Caliber.Az reports, citing the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency.

The agency added that the deal serves US national, economic, and security interests by supporting the recipient’s efforts to modernise its armed forces and maintain a credible defensive capability.

The United States has significantly expanded its arms sales to Taiwan as part of a broader strategy to support Taipei’s self‑defence, with recent packages totalling over $10 billion, the largest such transfer ever. 

Taipei is transforming its military toward “asymmetric warfare,” using mobile and precision systems to strengthen deterrence against Beijing. 

Under US law — notably the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 — Washington is obliged to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, and successive administrations have used this legal framework to approve and deliver advanced weaponry despite lacking formal diplomatic ties with Taipei. 

China views US arms sales to Taiwan as a violation of its “One China” policy and has repeatedly protested such deals.

By Jeyhun Aghazada