Taipei: Taiwan said on Friday its air force
would get three rescue helicopters from Airbus sister company
Eurocopter, in a development observers warned could worsen
Chinese anger over military sales to the island.
The EC225 long-range transport helicopters, with a
total price tag of 110 million dollars, are scheduled to be
delivered to Taiwan at the end of 2011 to join the air force`s
rescue team, said Yin Shih-hsien, an air force official.
"The newly acquired all-weather helicopters ... can
greatly improve the ability of the air force to execute rescue
missions at sea, on land and in the mountains, day and night,"
the air force said in a statement.
The announcement comes amid an ongoing row between
China and the United States over a US decision to deliver a
USD 6.4-billion arms package to the island, which Beijing
claims as its territory.
However, the Chinese foreign affairs ministry in
Beijing initially offered a measured response when asked for
comment by a news agency, saying merely it understood that the
helicopters were intended for rescue missions.
"We will continue to watch this issue closely, in
particular the use of these helicopters," ministry spokesman
Ma Zhaoxu said in an official statement.
Taiwan has so far largely escaped becoming entangled
in this row, as Beijing is eager to maintain friendly ties
with the island`s China-friendly President Ma Ying-jeou, but
analysts now questioned if it could last.
Bureau Report
