The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced a few days ago that it will take countermeasures against the US General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Corporation and the General Dynamics Land Systems Corporation that are involved in arms sales to China's Taiwan region, including: freezing movable property, immovable property, and other types of property within the territory of the mainland; refusing to issue visas to senior management personnel and not allowing them to enter the country. According to media disclosures, the two American companies sold MQ-9B Sky Guardian UAVs and M1A2T main battle tanks to Taiwan respectively.
"China's countermeasures against arms sales to Taiwan are a concrete manifestation of our fight against 'Taiwan independence' and opposition to US-Taiwan collusion. We oppose all forms of arms sales to Taiwan, whether it is specific equipment and ammunition, or the services and training provided by the US military. Su Xiaohui, a special commentator on this station, believes that China's countermeasures this time are law-based, precise and powerful.
She said that China's countermeasures against the two U.S. companies in accordance with the Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law of the People's Republic of China are justified and well-founded. As for the US media's assertion that the relevant enterprises have no cooperation with China in the field of military industry, it is undeniable that the relevant enterprises also have business in other areas, so their search for business opportunities in China will be seriously affected; at the same time, China's precise countermeasures will not harm the innocent, avoid affecting the confidence of US enterprises in cooperation with China, and will not damage the normal economic and trade exchanges between China and the United States.
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Co., Ltd. is a military contractor under General Atomics, Inc., and is an important designer and manufacturer of unmanned aerial vehicles and radar systems in the United States. The company's arms sales to Taiwan is the MQ-9B Sky Guardian UAV.
In November 2020, the United States agreed that Taiwan would send four MQ-9B drones to the United States. In March 2023, it was announced that General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GENA) in California had been awarded the contract, which includes four drones, two ground control systems, parts and other equipment, for a total value of approximately $250 million, and is expected to close on August 11, 2027.
However, according to Taiwan media, Taiwan purchased 4 MQ-9B drones from the United States last year, but it was rumored that the intelligence information detected by the drones should be given priority to the United States. In addition, Taiwan's Leshan base in Hsinchu is also led by the United States, and the United States has given priority to the use of tracking and control radars, reconnaissance angles, and intelligence information.
General Dynamics Land Systems, another U.S. company sanctioned by China, is an American company that manufactures military machinery and equipment such as tanks and armored combat vehicles, and has been awarded a modification contract worth more than $10.52 million from the U.S. Department of Defense to assist Taiwan in producing the M1A2T main battle tank.
According to Taiwanese media, the first batch of 38 M1A2T main battle tanks sold by the United States to Taiwan is scheduled to be delivered in 2024. At the same time as receiving and installing the new tank, the Taiwan Army also spent a lot of money to rebuild the tank's special shooting range, maintenance field, and driving training ground.
Although many Taiwanese media boast that the M1A2T is the "strongest tank on the surface", the United States has long stopped producing the new M1 series of main battle tanks, and in fact it is only a refurbishment and modification of the stock tank. Analysts believe that from the data released by the Taiwan military, it can be seen that its weight is about 63 tons, which is more than 10 tons different from the 73.5 tons of the M1A2C used by the US military, which means that the protection capability of the M1A2T of the Taiwan military has been greatly reduced.
Whether it is the intelligence seized by the drones that are given priority to the United States, or the tanks are models that have been discontinued by the United States, the high-priced weapons purchased by the Taiwan authorities from the United States are, as always, embarrassing to the Taiwan military. However, although the performance of these weapons often does not stand up to scrutiny, it cannot be ignored that the nature of the United States' continued arms sales to China's Taiwan region is egregious. This seriously violates the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-US joint communiques, seriously interferes in China's internal affairs, and seriously undermines China's sovereignty and territorial integrity. (Kantaihai WeChat public account)