Taiwan mulls buying used US tanks

TAIPEI (AFP): Taiwan is considering purchasing tanks used by the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan to update its ageing fleet, the defence ministry and media said Monday.

Taiwan remains wary of China despite a recent improvement in relations and military experts say the self-ruled island would deploy tanks in the event of a land invasion by its powerful neighbour.

M1 Abrams, which entered US service in 1980 and replaced M60s, are a third generation main battle tank and would bolster Taiwan's fleet of about 1,200 tanks, mostly M60s and M48s.

The island which broke away from China in 1949 at the end of a civil war also has dozens of Korean war and Vietnam war vintage M41s.

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