FULL: First Two New F-16v Fighter Jets Arrive In Taiwan To Bolster Defences Against China

The first two of a batch of 66 new F-16V Block 70 fighter jets ordered in 2019 arrived in Taiwan on Friday (October 2) after months of delays, helping to strengthen an air force that has to scramble almost daily to shadow China's military. Taiwan faces a rising military threat from Beijing, which claims the democratically governed island as its own territory. Taipei has complained of repeated delays to weapons ordered from the United States, its most important international backer and arms supplier. The new F-16Vs have advanced avionics, weapons and radar systems to better counter the Chinese air force, including its stealthy J-20 fighters, though Washington has been unwilling to provide Taiwan its most advanced fighters like the F-22 or F-35. The delivery, to Taitung's Chihhang Air Base on the mountainous east coast, comes amid growing concern in Taiwan about the Trump administration's commitment to arming Taipei, despite Washington saying there has been no change in policy. Speaking to reporters at parliament in Taipei, Defence Minister Wellington Koo said there would be other new F-16Vs arriving soon, though he did not give details. The arrival of the first two aircraft came almost exactly a week after US President Donald Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington. US officials believe a Chinese invasion of Taiwan before 2028 is increasingly unlikely, people familiar with US thinking told Reuters. Taiwan holds its next presidential election in early 2028. #Taiwan #F16V #F16 #TaiwanDefence #China #ChinaTaiwan #TaiwanStrait #US #USDefense #FighterJets #MilitaryNews #DefenceNews #TaiwanAirForce About NDTV (English news channel): NDTV is India's Most-Trusted News Broadcaster with the latest updates in news, sports, entertainment and much more from within India and around the world. Watch big political debates, exclusive entertainment interviews, news bulletins, current affairs, talk shows and tech reviews with our 24x7 news live streams, packed with credible information across all platforms: TV, Internet and Mobile. For Latest Videos, click here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYSfYVdrOZvh5iPadUPTAg3sxFD_DZpT_ To watch NDTV's premium shows listed together for your easy access, click here: https://www.youtube.com/@NDTV/playlists?view=50&sort=dd&shelf_id=5 For Ground Reports and Analysis from NDTV's reporters and anchors of day's top news stories, click here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYSfYVdrOZvgHr6OHiZYKbr_21MOmvk04 For News in Shorts, click here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYSfYVdrOZvjJ8fhLPk_Fz4tFARkpG-Y- Subscribe to our channel to get latest news updates. Follow us on Social Media: Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ndtv/ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ndtv/ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ndtv/ Follow us on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va4lixw7z4kcvZI9JM12 Join NDTV on Telegram Messenger: https://t.me/NDTVbot/?start=hi Follow us on Google News for Breaking and Latest News Updates: NDTV: https://bit.ly/3e5ngbP NDTV India (Hindi News): https://bit.ly/3mNVwMY Download NDTV Mobile Apps: http://www.ndtv.com/page/apps #BreakingNews #LatestNews #TodayNews #News #IndiaNews #NDTV #CurrentAffairs $MetaTags$1#Reuters2#NDTV Digital Originals4#Samrat Dasgupta$MetaTags$