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U.S. REAFFIRMS COMMITMENT TO DEFEND TAIWAN

ROC Central News Agency

2006-03-10 15:17:22

    Washington, March 9 (CNA) A high-ranking U.S. Department of Defense official on Thursday reaffirmed Washington's commitment to defend Taiwan against any military action by China while again urging Taiwan to beef up its capability to defend itself.

    William J. Fallon, commander of the U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM), said that until China renounces any intention of using force to resolve the Taiwan issue, the United States will maintain sufficient military capability in the region to meet its obligations under the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA). "While consistently seeking to assure the PRC of our desire for peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues, we retain our strong commitment to the defense of Taiwan should it be threatened by PRC military action, " Fallon said in his written statement before the Armed Services Committee in the House of Representatives. "In this regard, we have firmly and consistently advocated a stronger commitment and investment by Taiwan in its own defense. We welcome the general reduction in cross-strait tension between China and Taiwan but recognize the potential for danger in this relationship," he added.

    Fallon noted that PACOM activities in this region are guided by the TRA, the three joint U.S.-China communiques and the "one China" policy.

    Under the TRA, the United States has the obligation to assist Taiwan in maintaining its self-defense capability and retain the capacity to resist any use of force against Taiwan, he said. "Our efforts are aimed to prevent miscalculation which might result in conflict," he said.

    Fallon pointed out that China has continued to acquire new hardware and expand its military capabilities, a situation which he said calls for "close attention" by the United States. "While not constituting a capability near that of the United States, the increasing sophistication and size of modern military equipment, coupled with the lack of clear national intent with regard to this military capability, merits our close attention, " Fallon said.

    With tensions across the Taiwan Strait having relaxed in the past year, PACOM has continued to encourage both Taiwan and China to work to resolve their differences peacefully, Fallon said.

    He said enhancing Taiwan's ability to defend itself is the focus of the U.S. military engagement with Taiwan and that the United States has seen strong interest by Taiwan in strengthening its defensive capabilities. "We will continue to encourage their acquisition of useful technologies and a strong commitment to their own defense," he added.

(By Oliver Lin and Y.F. Low)

ENDITEM/Li