Taipei, Taiwan - The US has delivered its first batch of High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) to Taiwan, strengthening the self-governed island's defenses as tensions skyrocket in the Indo-Pacific.

HIMARS is a truck-mounted unit capable of firing multiple long-range precision-guided rockets at the same time.

They have been used extensively by Ukraine as they counter Russia's invasion.

Taiwan has purchased 29 HIMARS units from the US, adding to billions of dollars worth of military equipment which have made Washington the biggest ally and arms supplier to the self-governed island.

China Beijing says China and US can achieve "great things" together

Taiwan's deputy defense minister Po Horng-huei told a parliamentary committee in Taipei that the first 11 units have arrived in Taiwan.

On Tuesday, Taiwan's defense minister Wellington Koo said that Taipei was "determined to continuously strengthen our self-defense capabilities" no matter who won the US general election.

Former President Donald Trump has claimed victory in the 2024 election, having promised radical sanctions against China, but downplaying further military support for foreign conflicts including Ukraine.

Trump's future presidency throws into question how the US will continue to support Taiwan as China heaps increasing pressure on the island nation.

Beijing continues to claim that Taiwan is part of China's sovereign territory, referring to the island's democratically elected government as "separatists" and intimidating Taipei with military exercises in the Taiwan Strait.