US WILL NOT RULE OUT INCLUSION OF TAIWAN IN TMD SHIELD
Washington, Aug. 19 (CNA) State Department Spokesman James Rubin Washington on Thursday deliberately kept the door open for Taiwan to join the US anti-missile program.
Rubin during a press briefing said: "We would view with grave concern any use of force against Taiwan, and we don't preclude the possible sale of theater missile defenses (TMD) to Taiwan in the future."
The United States would help Taiwan defend itself according to the provisions of the Taiwan Relations Act, and the 1982 communique between Washington and Beijing, said Rubin.
Rubin made the remarks amid increasing tension between Taipei and Beijing over Taiwan's bid for state status when dealing with mainland China and reports that Beijing is lobbying Washington to stop all arms sales to the island.
Dismissing Beijing's alleged demand that Washington cut off all arms supplies to Taiwan as a long-standing position of the mainland, Rubin said the United States would honor the Taiwan Relations Act and supply Taiwan with weapons necessary for its defense.
Although Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui has declared the island's willingness to take part in the TMD program, Rubin cautioned that weaponry alone would not guarantee the island's security.
Instead, the spokesman touted the importance of dialogue as the method to resolve peacefully any disputes between Taipei and Beijing.
Citing the US experience as proof, Rubin said tensions in the Asian Pacific region have lulled whenever an amicable climate prevailed between Washington and Beijing.
Rubin noted that Taipei has acquired a US-made modified air defense system -- a modified version of the Patriot anti-missile system. This purchase, Rubin said, shows Taiwan is assessing its capability to shelter itself from missile attacks.
He shrugged off questions about whether Beijing President Jiang Zemin in a personal letter had asked President Bill Clinton to stop arms sales to Taiwan.
The spokesman said that the leaders of the two countries have exchanged letters several times recently, and that Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has spoken with Beijing Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan many times.
Throughout recent Washington-Beijing dialogue, the Taiwan issue has hardly been raised without Beijing vocally opposing US arms sales to Taiwan and without Washington reiterating its obligation to provide Taiwan with arms under the Taiwan Relations Act, said Rubin. (By Jay Chen & Maubo Chang)
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