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U.S. credibility to be at stake if arms sales fail: minister

ROC Central News Agency

08/09/30 20:19:51

By Chiehyu Lin and Sofia Wu

Jacksonville, Florida, Sept. 29 (CNA) The United States could see its credibility among Taiwanese at stake if it fails to approve a pending Taiwan arms procurement package, visiting Republic of China Defense Minister Chen Chao-min said Monday.

Chen, the first Taiwanese defense minister to visit the U.S. since 2002, made the remarks during an informal gathering with Taiwanese journalists stationed in the United States after he delivered a keynote speech at the opening of an annual U.S.-Taiwan defense industry conference.

In his speech, Chen strongly reaffirmed Taiwan's resolve to defend its national security and expressed optimism that the United States will eventually give the green light to Taiwan's arms procurement package.

The package consists of seven weapons systems -- namely anti-tank missiles, Apache helicopters, Patriot PAC-3 missile batteries, diesel-electric submarines, P3C Orion anti-submarine aircraft, ship-launched Harpoon anti-ship missiles and Black Eagle helicopters.

The U.S. State Department notified Congress last Friday of its approval of six arms deals with France, Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, but it failed to include the Taiwan package on its notification list.

The State Department later told Taiwanese media that the arms procurement package is still under inter-departmental screening by the administration and that it would notify Congress immediately upon a decision being reached.

The U.S. Congress was scheduled to enter into recess Sept. 26, but the recess was postponed for a week due to a deadlock over a US$700 billion bailout package for Wall Street. Although a post-session notification is legal, the Taiwanese reporters said it seems highly possible that the arms package will be left for the next U.S. administration to deal with.

Chen told the journalists that in addition to addressing the Sept. 28-30 defense industry conference, he will also meet with U.S. political heavyweights and senior military officials during his current visit in the hope of briefing them on President Ma Ying-jeou's basic political concepts, Taiwan's military reform directions and its self-defense resolve.

Chen said he will also take advantage of his visit to express the government's concern about the prospects for the arms procurement package.

Noting that Taiwan's arms procurement package has been drawn up in accordance with the provisions of the Taiwan Relations Act -- the U.S. law regulating relations with Taiwan in the absence of diplomatic ties -- Chen said his government expects the United States to honor its commitment to provide Taiwan with adequate defensive weapons to protect its security in the face of China's ever-intensifying military buildup.

If the U.S. government were to reject our pending arms package, Chen said, it would not only affect Taiwan's defense ability but would also prompt other democratic countries around the world to doubt U.S. commitment to supporting democracy and its ability to promote freedom.

According to Taiwan's budget law, the Ministry of National Defense will have to return the budget for the arms procurement package to the national coffers if the United States fails to approve the deal by the end of this year.

Pointing out that China's annual military budget has consistently registered double-digit growth for the past two decades, Chen said its annual military spending has reached the tune of US$100 billion to US$130 billion. As a result, he said, China has made substantial progress in its military buildup both quantitatively and qualitatively, exerting great pressure on Taiwan and making it more urgent for the United States to provide weapons systems needed to improve Taiwan's defense arsenal.

The annual Taiwan-U.S. defense industry conference, organized by the U.S.-Taiwan Business Council, focuses discussions on a range of subjects, including Taiwan's long-range plans for armed forces modernization, military transformation and move to an all-volunteer military service system and Taiwan's role in security in the Taiwan Strait.

The meeting will also examine how America's two presidential candidates might manage U.S.-Taiwan relations, according to a press release issued by the U.S.-Taiwan Business Council.