HONG KONG, August 11. /TASS/. Taiwan plans to purchase 28 additional sets of High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) launchers from the United States, the Taipei Times quoted sources as saying.

Taipei previously procured 29 HIMARS from Washington and received the first 11 sets in 2024. Once the planned purchases are completed, Taiwan would have 57 sets of HIMARS, the newspaper reported.

Also, the island’s Ministry of National Defense is weighing buying nine additional sets of National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) from the United States, military sources told the newspaper. Earlier, Taiwan and the United States signed a contract for three NASAMS systems.

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 there after their defeat in the Chinese Civil War. Beijing considers Taiwan a province of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), a position supported by the majority of countries, including Russia.

Washington severed diplomatic relations with the island in 1979 and established ties with China. While recognizing the One China principle, The United States maintains contacts with the Taipei administration. And the United States is the largest supplier of weapons to Taiwan. China has estimated that, in the past few years, the US has sent weapons worth over $70 bln to the island.