HONG KONG, April 27. /TASS/. The last 28 US-made M1A2T Abrams tanks out of the 108 ordered by Taipei has been delivered to Taiwan, the Taipei Times newspaper reported.

The tanks arrived at Taipei Port on Sunday evening and were transported to the Armor Training Command in Hsinchu County’s Hukou Township on Sunday night, the publication says.

The newspaper notes that the Abrams tanks, dubbed the "most powerful on Earth," are to be deployed with the Sixth Army Command to defend northern Taiwan. Taiwan also purchased 14 M88A2 recovery vehicles and 16 M1070A1 heavy equipment transporters vehicles to transport these tanks.

The M1A2T is a new variant of the American M1 Abrams tank. Washington approved the sale of 108 of these vehicles to Taipei in 2019. The total value of the deal was approximately 40.5 billion Taiwan dollars (approximately $1.45 billion at the time of the agreement). Taipei had previously received 80 tanks: 38 in December 2024 and 42 in July 2025. The first 38 vehicles have already been commissioned into service.

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 losing the civil war with China. According to Beijing’s official position, supported by most countries, including Russia, it is one of the regions of the People’s Republic of China. Washington severed diplomatic relations with Taipei in 1979 and established them with the People’s Republic of China. While recognizing the "one China" policy, the United States continues to maintain contacts with the Taipei administration and supply the island with weapons, the volume of which, according to Chinese estimates, has exceeded $70 billion over the past few years.