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Washington, March 8 (CNA) A renowned American columnist on Wednesday urged the United States government to provide Taiwan with the new defensive weapons it needs to deter a Communist Chinese invasion, saying that "an ounce of deterrence now might prevent a world of aggression later."

Paul Greenberg, a Pulitzer Prize-winning syndicated columnist, wrote that the Republic of China on Taiwan sounds nervous for two reasons, namely because it is threatened by China, and also because it is allied with the United States. Sometimes it's not clear which is the greater predicament for Taiwan, since the fate of the Vietnamese and the Kurds have demonstrated that being an American ally can be equally dangerous.

It is no secret that the mainland regime has been eager to absorb Taiwan since 1949, and now in its latest white paper on the Taiwan issue, it has again threatened "drastic measures" unless Taiwan comes along quietly. The official word from Beijing is that its alarming language does not represent any change in policy, but only "reiterates the government's consistent stance," noted Greenberg.

To deter any attack, or another attempt at intimidation, Taiwan is asking its American ally for new defensive weapons. Its people have every right to expect such support under the terms of the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979. But at the moment Washington is balking at Taiwan's request -- despite America's solemn promise recorded in the TRA -- to provide weapons "in such quantity as may be necessary to enable Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability," he pointed out.

The Pentagon, too, is pressing the White House to sell Taiwan the kinds of defensive weapons it needs, such as destroyers armed with sophisticated radar and anti-missile systems. But to no avail. The Clinton administration prefers a policy of constructive engagement with "our strategic partners, which is tantamount to appeasing a threat to peace," said Greenberg.

"At the dawn of a new century, we still have not learned one of the clearest lessons of the old. A democratic ally denied the means to defend itself may soon become an irresistible target, and this country will be called on to defend it," concluded the columnist. (By Nelson Chung)