TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Although international travel is still not back to normal, China Airlines called for a meeting with its Board of Directors. They passed a decision to purchase 16 Boeing 787-9 passenger planes with an estimated price tag of NT$139.8 billion. The move has raised much speculation about whether it has to do with the recent U.S. delegations' recent visits to Taiwan.
During the U.S. Senator's visit to Taiwan in April this year, Lindsey Graham directly stated to President Tsai Ing-wen that he hoped Taiwan would buy 24 Boeing 787s. "We hope you buy the 787," said Lindsey Graham, a U.S. Senator. Although the central government has repeatedly emphasized that there is no forced sale, this transaction is now about to go through just four months later.
"Even if there is political pressure, corporate governance must precede, but the most absurd thing about this matter is that, previously, the DPP senior officials confidently said that there was no such thing. Now what they have said has been proven to be false," said Legislator Hung Meng-kai.
Aviation industry experts also point out that for a long time, the Taiwanese industry has preferred to buy planes from European Airbus for flight safety reasons. However, China Airlines stated that they had already launched a replacement plan in 2018 and began accelerating the process in September last year. And after careful evaluation, they have selected the most suitable models, denying any claims that they were forced to buy planes from the U.S.
And during this time, another U.S. guest, Arizona's Governor Doug Ducey, is currently visiting Taiwan. During his three-day visit, he will meet with Tsai Ing-wen and companies in the semiconductor industry. As Ducey's delegation is highly interested in Taiwan's semiconductor industry, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs says they hope that the Arizona Governor's visit will further the mutual benefit of Taiwan and the United States.