Taiwan has received 38 advanced Abrams battle tanks from the United States, the defense ministry said Monday, as the island boosts its military capabilities against a potential Chinese attack.

Axar.az reports that the M1A2 tanks -- the first batch of 108 ordered in 2019 -- arrived in Taiwan late Sunday and were transferred to an army training base in Hsinchu, south of the capital Taipei, the defense ministry said.

Abrams tanks, which are among the heaviest in the world, are a mainstay of the US military.

Taiwan requested the state-of-the-art M1A2 tanks in 2019. The rest of the order is expected to be delivered in 2025 and 2026.