On Monday, China sent its largest-ever contingent of planes across the median line of the Taiwan Strait, the de facto maritime border between the two. Tensions spiked earlier this year after US Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan despite China’s opposition to the trip. The potential deal comes as China ramps up military, diplomatic and economic pressure on Taiwan to assert its sovereignty claims, including almost daily Chinese air force missions near the island during the past three years. But these notifications are usually not made unless lawmakers have given the State Department and the Pentagon informal approval to move ahead. US law requires the executive branch to notify Congress of potential arms sales that are more than a certain amount. Northrop Grumman and Oshkosh Corporation are the prime contractors for the potential sale. The Volcano system, developed by the US army in the 1980s, uses prepackaged mine canisters which contain multiple anti-tank mines which are dispersed when ejected from the canister. The US State Department has approved the possible sale of Volcano anti-tank mine-laying systems to Taiwan for an estimated $180m, the Pentagon said on Wednesday, amid mounting tensions between the self-governing East Asian island and China.

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