Taiwan’s Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng has said that Taipei will abandon its plan to purchase new US anti-submarine warfare helicopters produced by Lockheed Martin Corp, saying they were excessively pricey.
“The price is too high, beyond the scope of our country’s ability,” the island’s defense chief said at a parliamentary hearing on Thursday.
Local media, however, have reported that Washington rejected the sale, in the belief that it was not in line with the island nation’s needs.
Washington has failed to deliver on previous contractual obligations to Taiwan.
Despite showering American defense manufacturers with money, Taipei is still awaiting $14.2 billion worth of military equipment that it has already ordered from the US since 2019.