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DPP UNVEILS POSITION PAPER ON ARMS PROCUREMENT

ROC Central News Agency

2006-03-03 19:30:59

    Taipei, March 3 (CNA) The legislative caucus of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said Friday that submarines are a major deterrent strategic weapon in Taiwan's national defense and urged the legislature to appropriate in the current session preliminary budgets for purchasing them.

    DPP legislators Tang Huo-sheng and Lee Wen-chung -- both of whom are members of the legislative National Defense Committee -- called a news conference to unveil the party's position paper on the purchase of three major items of weaponry from the United States, in the hope that the deal will finally clear the legislature.

    The opposition-dominated legislature has blocked the arms procurement package, including a squadron of 12 anti-missile P-3C aircraft, six Patriot PAC-3 anti-missile batteries, and eight diesel-electric submarines from the United States, for nearly two years.

    Lee said China's defense budget has shown double-digit growth for the 14th consecutive year and that it is estimated the military balance will tilt toward China in 2008.

    Taiwan's warfare strategy should be defensive and that its tactics should include counterstrike ability. Under this strategic concept, it is necessary for the nation to purchase submarines and research and develop short- and medium-range missiles.

    He noted that China's reliance on foreign trade is 80 percent, its reliance on imported oil is up to 44 percent and that the ratio is expected to have reached 57 percent by 2010.

    If China imposes a blockade against Taiwan, then Taiwan's submarines could also counter by blocking Chinese ports or traffic routes, Lee said.

    Lee said China currently only has two vessels that possess modern anti-submarine capability and that if all eight submarines Taiwan intends to buy from the United States can be commissioned, China's investment in anti-submarine weapons would have to be about eight times that of Taiwan's investment.

    He expressed the hope that the legislative session will appropriate preliminary spending for the submarines, such as hiring foreign professional military advisers for bargaining on Taiwan's behalf with submarine manufacturers in Europe and the United States.

    The legislative session should also appropriate a downpayment for the anti-submarine aircraft, Lee urged.

    On the Patriot PAC-3 batteries, the DPP will advocate that the three Patriot PAC-2 already deployed in Taiwan should be upgraded and that Taiwan should also research, develop and deploy anti-tactical ballistic missile (ATBM) system.

    The Ministry of National Defense recently said it will refrain from discussing the purchase of Patriot PAC-3 batteries until next March, as a referendum held in tandem with the 2004 presidential election on the purchase of the missiles failed. The referendum law stipulates that an issue cannot be put to referendum again within three years of a previous referendum.

(By Lilian Wu)

ENDITEM/J