PARIS, December 16. /TASS/. The United States has supplied Taiwan with the first batch of 38 M1A2T Abrams tanks, the AFP news agency reports with reference to the Taiwanese Defense Ministry.

Initially, the delivery was scheduled for mid-2024. At a certain point it was moved to a later date. Taipei will receive another 42 US tanks in 2025 and the last batch of 28 combat vehicles in 2026.

The sale of 108 Abrams M1A2T tanks to Taiwan for $2.2 billion was approved by the US Department of State in 2019. The M1A2T is a SEPv2 (System Enhancement Package version 2) of the M1A2 main battle tank upgraded in accordance with Taiwan's requests. Currently, Taiwan's tank fleet has 1,000 combat vehicles, mostly of obsolete types.

Taiwan has been governed by its own administration since 1949, when the remnants of the Kuomintang forces led by Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975) fled after being defeated in the Chinese Civil War. Beijing considers Taiwan one of China’s provinces.

The US severed diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 1979 and established them with the PRC. While professing commitment to the One China policy, Washington continues to maintain contact with the Taipei administration. The US is Taiwan's main arms supplier. The PRC Foreign Ministry estimates that the total amount of U.S. military supplies to the island over the past few years has exceeded $7 billion.