Taiwan said today it would buy up to 20 military helicopters from a European manufacturer in a move likely to irritate China less than a week after Washington proposed a US$6.4 billion (HK$49.92 billion) arms deal with the island.
The Taiwan deal with Eurocopter, a subsidiary of German-based EADS, could strain China-European relations which, like Sino-US ties, have been hurt by trade disputes and the value of the Chinese currency.
European arms sales to the self-ruled island that Beijing considers a breakaway province of China have dried up in the past 17 years due to their political sensitivity, although EU-Taiwan trade ties are generally strong.
A French deal in 1993 to sell Taiwan advanced Mirage fighter jets infuriated China, prompting Beijing to close the French consulate in southern Guangdong province and cut French firms out of lucrative contracts.
China has claimed sovereignty over Taiwan since 1949, when Mao Zedong's forces won the Chinese civil war and Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalists fled to the island. Beijing has vowed to bring Taiwan under its rule, by force if necessary.
Taiwan's defence ministry spokesman Martin Yu said the island would buy EC-225 search-and-rescue helicopters. He provided no further details.
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