Friday, 28 August 2020_Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen has unveiled a US-backed maintenance hub for upgraded F-16 fighters, saying she will not be “bowing and cringing” to China over the self-ruled island’s “sovereignty.”
Speaking at a ceremony to unveil Taiwan’s first maintenance center for F-16s in the central city of Taichung, President Tsai said that the hub marks a milestone in her years-long drive to build up the island’s defense industry.
“It takes solid defense capability, not bowing and cringing, to defend the sovereignty of the Republic of China and maintain regional peace and stability,” she said, using Taiwan’s formal name.
“The time needed for jet maintenance will be greatly shortened and availability will be boosted significantly, ensuring the Air Force’s combat power at the front line,” she added.
Taiwan’s Aerospace Industrial Development Corp (AIDC) said that the hub would service jets for the island’s air force and that the company plans to expand it as a maintenance hub for F-16s in the region.
China has sovereignty over Taiwan; and under the “One China” policy, almost all world countries — including the United States — recognize that sovereignty.
Although Washington has no formal relations with Taipei, it is the island’s largest weapons supplier and an avid backer of Taiwan’s secessionist president Tsai Ing-wen.
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