(Reuters) – The US State Department has decided to approve the sale of Tomahawk cruise missiles to Australia if the deal goes through.
16, the Department of Defense announced.
Provides up to 220 Tomahawks and technical support. The value of the contract is expected to be up to $895 million.
The Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of the potential sale on the same day. There was no indication that an agreement had been signed or that negotiations had ended.
US defense giant Raytheon will be the prime contractor.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a regular briefing on the 17th, “I am aware of the reports,” and added, “Country-to-state defense and security cooperation should contribute to regional peace and stability .We must not target or undermine the interests of the three parties.”
“It could exacerbate tensions in the region, seriously undermine peace and stability, and trigger an arms race,” he said. China is urging concerned countries to abandon outdated Cold War thinking and narrow-minded geopolitical ideas, he said.
