Taiwan gets its first US Abrams tanks as it prepares for a possible invasion by China

An M1A2 Abrams tank.

Taiwan has taken delivery of its first-ever Abrams tanks from the US, and its first delivery of a new type of US tank in three decades.

Taiwan’s defense ministry said on Monday that the country had received 38 Abrams tanks from the US, according to AFP.

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense shared pictures of tanks being moved on cranes, with the message: “Heavy Armors Have Arrived!”

The M1A2 Abrams is an advanced and heavy battle tank and is considered among the best tanks in the world.

Their arrival is likely to anger China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory.

According to Taiwan’s semi-official Central News Agency, the last tank delivery from the US to Taiwan began in 1994.

However, the US approved the possible sale of 108 Abrams tanks to Taiwan in 2019.

CNA reported that in addition to the 38 tanks already delivered, 42 are due to arrive next year, and 28 in 2026.

Taiwan’s tank force currently consists of much older models, the Taiwan-made CM 11 Brave Tiger and US-made M60A3 tanks, according to AFP.

But Taiwan has increased spending on its military in recent years, as China has stepped up its military threats against the island.

These threats include large-scale military drills and almost daily incursions into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone.

While Taiwan has boosted its defense spending, with a record budget next year of $19.74 billion, China is far larger, both as a country and as a military force.

US officials have said that China could be in a position to invade Taiwan by 2027.

But that doesn’t mean any invasion would be easy.

A Chinese invasion of Taiwan would depend on seizing its ports, as B-17 reported earlier this month.

Chinese military journals “argue that the success or failure of an invasion of Taiwan likely would hinge on whether Chinese amphibious-landing forces are able to seize, hold, and exploit the island’s large port facilities,” naval analyst Ian Easton wrote in a new book published by the China Maritime Studies Institute at the US Naval War College.

Chinese analysts worry that Taiwan will turn its ports into fortresses against sea assault.

China is also closely monitoring the effects of Western sanctions on Russia in order to prepare for a possible invasion of Taiwan, The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month, citing people familiar with the matter.

Meanwhile, Lin Jian, China’s foreign ministry spokesman, urged the US on Monday to “stop arming Taiwan” and said the US should stop “supporting Taiwan independence forces,” per AFP.

Taiwan’s attempt “to seek independence through force and foreign help is doomed to fail,” he said, adding: “China will firmly defend its national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity.”