The defense ministry has declined to confirm reports that the first batch of M1A2 Abrams tanks bought from the U.S. have arrived in Taiwan, saying only that the first tanks Taiwan's army has acquired from abroad in 30 years will arrive by the end of the year.
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00:00The first batch of tanks Taiwan's army has acquired from abroad in 30 years have reportedly
00:05arrived on Taiwan's shores, but the defense ministry is staying tight-lipped, this morning
00:10only confirming that the first batch of tanks would arrive by the end of this year.
00:13Before the end of the year, the overall work process is classified as confidential, so we
00:18won't go out and make a statement.
00:21In 2019, the military bought American M1 Abrams tanks, one of the most advanced battle tanks
00:26in the world.
00:27They were supposed to be delivered by 2022, but were delayed.
00:31The defense ministry now says 38 tanks will be arriving within the next few weeks.
00:36The ministry says 42 more tanks will arrive next year, and 28 will arrive in 2026.
00:42Taiwan bought 108 in total, spending about 1.24 billion U.S. dollars.
00:48The whole contract is supposed to be finalized by 2027.
00:52Local media is reporting that the tanks will be positioned around the north of Taiwan and
00:55will be used to bolster the country's ground forces.
00:58Howard Zhang, Adil Brar, and Keynes Coranta for Taiwan Plus.