Taiwan receives first batch of US-made advanced battle tanks

Taiwan has received 38 advanced Abrams battle tanks from the US, the Defence Ministry said on Dec 16, as the island boosts its military capabilities against a potential Chinese attack.

Washington has long been Taipei's most important ally and biggest arms supplier, angering Beijing, which claims Taiwan as part of its own territory.

The M1A2 tanks - the first batch of 108 ordered in 2019 - arrived in Taiwan late on Dec 15 and were transferred to an army training base in Hsinchu, south of the capital Taipei, the Defence Ministry said.

The M1A2s are the first new tanks to be delivered to Taiwan in 30 years, the semi-official Central News Agency said.

Taiwan's current tank force consists of around 1,000 Taiwan-made CM 11 Brave Tiger and US-made M60A3 tanks, technology that is increasingly obsolete.

Abrams tanks, which are among the heaviest in the world, are a mainstay of the US military.