| Friday, August 9, 2002 |
| Government outlines spending for weapons |
| Published: August 9, 2002 Source: Taipei Times |
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Iap made the remarks in response to recent concerns voiced by Cohen, who criticized Taiwan's lack of transparency -- particularly in arms procurement -- during a closed-door meeting with Yu in New York City on Tuesday. According to Iap, the government has mapped out a NT$700 billion, 11-item arms-procurement plan that spans from this year to 2012. "For next year, we plan to earmark NT$5.2 billion to purchase some submarines and tanks, among other things," he said. Dismissing speculation that Cohen tried to lobby for arm sales during the meeting, Paul Gephard, vice president of the Cohen Group, told the Taipei Times that Cohen simply raised long-standing U.S. concerns about the lack of transparency and predictability when it comes to Taiwan's arms-procurement process. "[Cohen also mentioned] the need for civilian oversight over that process and increased transparence and openness in their process," Gephard said. "There was no lobbying ... for the government of Taiwan to select any particular equipment. "The U.S. administration has offered to provide the Taiwanese Kidd-class destroyers and submarines and a whole host of other things. But the [former] secretary did not advocate any particular contractor in a relationship to these procurements," Gephard said. Meanwhile, Yu witnessed the signing of an investment agreement, in which Day Sheng-tong, chairman of the National Association of Small and Medium Enterprises, pledged to invest US$6 million to set up a hat factory in Haiti. Day said that he hopes the hat factory will help create 1,000 to 2,000 jobs and involve the transfer of manufacturing technology from Taiwan to Haiti. Yu said the investment marks an important step in economic cooperation between the two countries. "I'm calling on more Taiwanese big, medium-sized and small enterprises to invest in Haiti, which has remained one of Taiwan's most important diplomatic allies since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1956," Yu said. Yu's schedule was disrupted because of a sudden change of plans and the drivers' unfamiliarity with the roads. Instead of inspecting road construction funded by the Taiwan government near the international airport, Yu was driven to his next event -- the inspection of a Taiwan-funded university. Taiwanese media and the delegation, who were in separate cars, spent more than two hours going back and forth on the same road searching for the designated site of the university. Both the roadwork and university are part of a US$55 million cooperation project, which includes the establishment of medical schools, literary improvement programs and housing construction. Yu was scheduled to visit President Jean-Bertrand Aristide at the presidential office at 9 a.m. Thursday. His schedule includes presenting a wreath at the martyrs' shrine before visiting an industrial area in Hispaniola. The premier was also to attend a forum on bilateral investment and trade, followed by the signing of an economic cooperation agreement. A press conference was scheduled for the afternoon before the delegation was to leave for Panama at 3 p.m. |
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