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U.S. REMAINS CONCERNED WHETHER TAIWAN DETERMINED TO BOOST DEFENSES

ROC Central News Agency

2006-08-01 13:23:30

    New York, July 31 (CNA) Washington remains concerned over whether Taiwan is determined to boost its overall defense capabilities, visiting Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Shen Fa-hui said Monday.

    Shen, who along with another ruling DPP legislator, Lee Kun-tse, visited Washington, D.C. before arriving in New York Sunday, said U.S. officials expressed "grave concern" during a talk with them last week over whether Taiwan can "effectively" raise its overall defense and combat capabilities as rival China continues its rapid military build-up.

    As to the much-talked-about procurement of three major weapon systems from the U.S., Shen said, the U.S. officials did not name any particular item this time around, but they did mention that the designing and building of the eight diesel-fueled submarines that the U.S. has promised to sell to Taiwan could be discussed separately.

    Meanwhile, Shen said he and Lee were told by Department of Commerce officials that the signing of a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) between Taiwan and the United States is not seen as happening any time soon and that current efforts will continue to focus on ensuing talks under the Taiwan-U.S. Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA).

    Shen, nevertheless, noted that the U.S. officials also told them that Taiwan need not worry that the window is closing fast for substantive consideration of an FTA under the Bush administration's Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), which will expire on July 1, 2007. "There probably will be a unique opportunity sometime in the near future for the two sides to embark on new rounds of FTA talks," Shen quoted a U.S. official as saying to him.

    The TPA is a fast-track arrangement that allows the Bush administration to negotiate trade deals and present them to Congress for a simple yes-or-no vote.

    Shen and Lee visited Jimmy K. Meng, the first American Chinese member of the New York State House of Representatives, Monday at his office, where they wished Meng's daughter Grace success in running in the New York State Democratic primary in September.

    The two DPP legislators will head to Detroit after their New York visit. They are also scheduled to visit New Orleans and Hawaii before returning to Taiwan in about two weeks.

(By Timothy Huang and Deborah Kuo)

ENDITEM/Li