Taiwan plans to buy up to four frigates from the United States after unanimous approval of a U.S. Senate bill last week. But its Defense Ministry said it is hoping that the White House would not be swayed by China's expected opposition to the sale.

The sale of the frigates was authorized by a bill unanimously approved by the U.S. Senate and comes on the heels of a similar bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in April. With the Senate approval, the bill now only needs U.S. President Barack Obama's signature for it to be enacted into law.  

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Taiwan Defense Ministry spokesman David Lo said they have earmarked $176 million dollars for two frigates and shall make a decision on the purchase of the two other ships later. "We hope the U.S. will not be influenced by threats from China," Lo said.

The House bill, approved in April near the 35^th anniversary of the landmark Taiwan Relations Act between Washington and Taipei, was roundly criticized by Beijing. China's Ministry of National Defense said of the House version known as HR 3470: "The U.S. side ignored China's strong opposition, and insisted on passing the bill pushing weapons sales to China."

The vessels being eyed by Taiwan are decommissioned Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates. These 4,000-ton warships are known for their toughness and are efficient in ship and submarine warfare protection.

At the U.S. Navy's website, frigates were described as "cost effective" but do not have the "multi-mission capability necessary for modern surface combatants faced with multiple, high-technology threats."

According to Lo, Taiwan is eager to take delivery of the frigates which they are planning to put into use immediately. The ships are expected to be upgraded and used to beef up its forces on the Taiwan Strait.

Recently, Taiwan's Chung Shan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST) released the first footage of the successful test firing of two types of missiles currently in its arsenal. The supersonic anti-ship cruise missile called Hsiung-Feng III (Brave Wind III) or HF-3 was shown being fired from a Cheng Kung class frigate whose construction was based on a U.S. Perry-class frigate.

The other test was for a surface-to-air missile system dubbed the Tien Kung III (Sky Bow III) or TK-3.

A Jane's Weekly Defence Weekly report said the infrared camera footage showed an HF-3 missile penetrating the hull of a World War II landing ship tank target. The HF-3 has a reported speed of up to Mach 2.3, a 150-km range and is touted to be a "carrier killer".

China has always claimed that Taiwan is part of its territory after communist victory on the mainland in 1949 and Beijing has attempted to thwart arms sales to the island by the U.S. or other countries in the past.