The White House Briefing Room
February 11, 1999
PRESS BRIEFING BY JOE LOCKHART
1:07 P.M. EST
THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary ______________________________________________________________ For Immediate Release February 11, 1999 PRESS BRIEFING BY JOE LOCKHART The Briefing Room 1:07 P.M. EST .................... Q Joe, is there any comment from the White House on the report that China is stepping up construction of a military base in the South China Sea, on Woody Island and -- MR. LOCKHART: I'm sorry, say the second part again? Q There was a report yesterday -- well, in today's Washington Times, that China is stepping up construction of a military base in the South China Sea, on Woody Island and the Paracels Islands chain? MR. LOCKHART: Yes, I think we're aware of that. It's something of concern and, as we've urged before, we urge them to work in dialogue with all of the parties concerned in the area there. Q On China, are you also concerned about the buildup of missiles on the mainland aimed at Taiwan? MR. LOCKHART: Well, the administration is aware of the growing deployment in China, in recent years, of missiles capable of striking Taiwan. This is not particularly new. It's been something that we've been aware of has been going on. You'll remember the testing of these missiles in 1996 precipitated the U.S. deploying the Area II carrier groups to the Straits. We have a strong interest in maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. We have supplied, for this reason, defensive arms to Taiwan consistent with the Taiwan Relations Act. We plan to continue to monitor the military balance in the Taiwan Strait closely, and meet our obligation to provide Taiwan the arms it needs for adequate defense. Q But couldn't the buildup of these missiles endanger regional security? MR. LOCKHART: Certainly. And that's why I've so stated the preceding points. Q The report seemed to indicate that the number of missiles that we now believe are there have tripled. Is that, in fact, the case? MR. LOCKHART: I'm not going to get into the detail except to acknowledge that we have been aware for some time of an increase and, again, this is not a new story, but it is something of concern. Q So the current status -- the current number of missiles you now believe are there, you have known about for some time? MR. LOCKHART: I believe that the buildup has gone over some time, and we are aware. Q One more follow-up on that. There's talk about a U.S. missile defense umbrella. How seriously is the U.S. committed to defending Taiwan? MR. LOCKHART: You know, theater missile defense technology is in a development stage and is some years away, and we'll make a decision in the future in this area, based on the development of the technologies, Taiwan's defense needs, and how we perceive the best way to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. ..............
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