Washington, Oct. 25 (CNA) The Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA) passed a resolution Monday asking the Clinton administration to clarify the US commitment to defend Taiwan in the event of Communist Chinese aggression and provide Taiwan with defense weaponry, including anti-missile systems to offset the Chinese missile threat.
The "China Resolution" passed unanimously by its Board of Directors at its autumn meeting said that the US Congress passing the Taiwan Security Enhancement Act would be a strong first step.
Before putting the resolution to a vote, Harvey Feldman, a former State Department official in charge of ROC affairs, told the board meeting that the Taiwan Security Enhancement Act is a necessary upgrade of the Taiwan Relations Act, because the Clinton administration has not properly implemented the American law.
JINSA pointed out in the resolution that the Beijing government continues to engage in behavior which threatens the security of Taiwan, and the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 requires that US arms sales to Taiwan be determined solely by Taiwanese defense needs.
The JINSA board added that it is in full agreement with former CIA Director R. James Woolsey's statement, "I believe that clear, not ambiguous, American support for Taiwan's right to be protected from the use of force by Beijing is an essential part of maintaining peace in the Taiwan Straits."
Therefore, the institute resolved that the US government should clarify US commitment to defend Taiwan if the mainland attacks, increase surveillance of it's military activities to reduce the chances of a surprise attack, maintain a strong US military presence in Asia, and provide Taiwan with defense weaponry, including anti-missile systems capable of offsetting the Communist Chinese missile threat. (By Nelson Chung)
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