미국, 대만에 첨단무기 수출 또 승인…중국 "죽음의 길"<br /><br />The United States has approved the sale of armed drones to Taiwan,... a move likely to further anger China.<br />The multi-hundred million dollar deal would be the first sale since the Trump administration loosened its policy on the export of drone technology.<br />Lee Seung-jae reports.<br />According to the U.S. State Department on Tuesday,... the United States plans to sell four armed MQ-9 Reaper drones to Taiwan.<br />The deal is said to be worth 600 million U.S. dollars,... and would be the first such sale since the Trump administration began loosening its policy on drone technology exports.<br />The department said the sale supports Taiwan's push to "modernize its armed forces and to maintain a credible defensive capability”, while maintaining political stability and military balance in the region.<br />The formal notification of sale gives U.S. Congress 30 days to object,... but that is unlikely given the bipartisan support in Washington for Taiwan's defense.<br />The deal was first reported last month,... and is the latest in a series of U.S. military equipment and weapons sales to Taiwan worth roughly 4-point-2 billion dollars.<br />Others include Harpoon anti-ship missiles, air-launched SLAM-ER cruise missiles, and mobile light rocket launchers.<br />In response,... Beijing did not rule out a stern response.<br />According to the Chinese foreign ministry on Wednesday,... the deal "severely violates the one-China principle and the three U.S.-China joint communiques."<br />"China's position on the issue of U.S. arms sales to Taiwan is consistent and clear. I would like to stress again that the U.S. arms sales to the Taiwan region seriously violates the one-China principle and the three Sino-U.S. joint communiques, especially the provisions of the 'August 17th' communique."<br />It added the U.S. policy also "seriously undermines China's sovereignty and security interests."<br />Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.<br /><br />
