US will sell Reaper drone to Taiwan

The United States has agreed to sell four armed MQ-9 Reaper drones to Taiwan, the State Department announced Tuesday, helping to boost the island's defenses as China steps up its threats.The $600 million sale aids Taiwan's "continuing efforts to modernize its armed forces and to maintain a credible defensive capability," the State Department said.It will also assist in maintaining political stability and the military balance in the region, the department said in a statement. The sale covers four drones, ground stations, and associated surveillance and communications equipment, but not the bombs or missiles usually associated with it.

The sales have angered Beijing, which regards Taiwan as a breakaway province since it split from mainland China under an exiled government seven decades ago.While Taiwan has for decades fallen back on an implicit US security guarantee, Washington has urged it to strengthen its own capabilities to resist an effort by China to forcibly retake it.China's military in recent months has simulated amphibious landings on Taiwan-like territory and repeatedly flown aircraft into the island's airspace.