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U.S. CONGRESSMAN PUSHES FOR PASSAGE OF TAIWAN ARMS BILL

ROC Central News Agency

2007-02-21 19:30:59

    Taipei, Feb. 21 (CNA) Visiting U. S. Congressman Steve Chabot (R-Ohio) said Wednesday that as a close friend of Taiwan, he will continue to offer Taiwan his resolute support in Congress, but also hopes that Taiwan's legislature would pass the long-stalled arms bill to demonstrate the island's determination to defend itself.

    Chabot, co-chairman of the U.S. Congressional Taiwan Caucus, made the statement during a visit to Joseph Wu, chairman of the Cabinet-level Council of Mainland Affairs, who is Taiwan's top China policy planner.

    A bill on an arms procurement package from the United States -- which includes eight diesel-electric submarines, a squadron of 12 P-3C anti-submarine aircraft and six Patriot PAC III anti-missile batteries -- has been blocked by the opposition-controlled legislature over 70 times since it was first submitted in mid-2004.

    The budget for the arms procurement package from the United States was slashed from NT$610.8 billion to NT$480 billion in 2005 to placate opposition lawmakers. It was further reduced to NT$340 billion to cover only the purchase of the submarines and sub-hunting aircraft.

    During the visit, Wu said, he expressed appreciation on behalf of the government to Chabot for the congressman's long-standing, staunch support for Taiwan's cause and also called for continued U.S. support of Taiwan's bid to join the World Health Organization and other major international organizations.

    In response to Chabot's inquiries about Taiwan's reaction to China's Taiwan policies, Wu said that Beijing has been adept at employing two-pronged strategy -- showing so-called "goodwill" to the people of Taiwan on one hand while marginalizing Taiwan on the world stage and building up its military forces targeting Taiwan on the other.

    Beijing has relentlessly strangled Taiwan's attempts to gain maneuvering room in the international community, most recently barring Taiwan from joining the World Health Organization and many other NGOs, organizations supposedly least influenced by politics and completely concerning people's well-being, Wu said.

    Nevertheless, Wu said, despite China's relentless efforts to choke off Taiwan, militarily and diplomatically, the Mainland Affairs Council has done its utmost to improve bilateral relations with China in order to maintain peace across the Taiwan Strait.

    Council efforts to help alleviate tensions across the strait included persistent calls for cross-strait negotiations and stepped-up exchanges; the opening of direct cross-strait cargo and passenger charter flight services; as well as Taiwan's cross-the-board opening up to Chinese citizens for leisure trips, Wu told Chabot.

    Wu said to Chabot that it is keenly hoped that all Chinese citizens will be allowed to travel to Taiwan for tourism and to experience Taiwan society and its democracy for themselves so that people from the two sides will better understand each other, indirectly enhancing peace and stability across the strait.

(By Deborah Kuo)

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