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U.S. not worried military secrets will leak through Taiwan

ROC Central News Agency

2009/06/26 17:06:05

By Rachel Chan

Taipei, June 26 (CNA) The United States is not concerned that advanced military technologies will be leaked to China through its weapon sales to Taiwan because Taiwan is capable of protecting such technologies, the top U.S. envoy to Taiwan said Friday.

"I don't really think there is a great concern about the transfer of technology from Taiwan because I think that Taiwan has very effective means in the controlling of technology, " Stephen M. Young, director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) , said at a biannual press conference.

Young, the de facto U.S. ambassador to Taiwan in the absence of formal diplomatic relations between the two countries, is scheduled to leave Taiwan in July after concluding his three-year term as AIT director.

Young said that while the U.S. welcomes the reduction of tensions between Taiwan and China, it is also aware of the People's Republic of China's relentless military buildup -- much of it directed at Taiwan -- and the Ma Ying-jeou administration's interest in continuing to pursue security cooperation with the U.S.

"I think that the Obama administration will calculate the requests of our Taiwan friends in that light and act at an appropriate time when there are decisions about what types of defensive weapons might make the most sense to provide this island, " he said.

Describing the triangular relations among Taipei, Beijing and Washington, Young said there have been times in the past when one side of the triangle was stronger than others, but that one of the promising aspects at present is that all three sides are fairly strong, and improving and growing.

"An important point here is that President Ma and his government, despite its very major focus on improving relations with Beijing, continues to believe it is appropriate and necessary to have an active security cooperation relationship with the U.S.," Young said.

He added that Washington will continue to look closely at Taiwan's arms sales requests and that it will not consult with Beijing on its security cooperation or arms decisions involving Taiwan.

"That's the framework. The decision itself will be made by Washington under that framework at a time and in a nature that reflect our own national interests as well as our commitments to Taiwan," Young said.

He believes that the efforts of all three of the triangle's sides can help reduce the possibility that Taiwan might be a land mine in U.S.-China relations, as some have suggested.

(By Rachel Chan) Enditem/ls Taipei, June 26 (CNA) The United States is not concerned that advanced military technologies will be leaked to China through its weapon sales to Taiwan because Taiwan is capable of protecting such technologies, the top U.S. envoy to Taiwan said Friday.

"I don't really think there is a great concern about the transfer of technology from Taiwan because I think that Taiwan has very effective means in the controlling of technology, " Stephen M. Young, director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) , said at a biannual press conference.

Young, the de facto U.S. ambassador to Taiwan in the absence of formal diplomatic relations between the two countries, is scheduled to leave Taiwan in July after concluding his three-year term as AIT director.

Young said that while the U.S. welcomes the reduction of tensions between Taiwan and China, it is also aware of the People's Republic of China's relentless military buildup -- much of it directed at Taiwan -- and the Ma Ying-jeou administration's interest in continuing to pursue security cooperation with the U.S.

"I think that the Obama administration will calculate the requests of our Taiwan friends in that light and act at an appropriate time when there are decisions about what types of defensive weapons might make the most sense to provide this island, " he said.

Describing the triangular relations among Taipei, Beijing and Washington, Young said there have been times in the past when one side of the triangle was stronger than others, but that one of the promising aspects at present is that all three sides are fairly strong, and improving and growing.

"An important point here is that President Ma and his government, despite its very major focus on improving relations with Beijing, continues to believe it is appropriate and necessary to have an active security cooperation relationship with the U.S.," Young said.

He added that Washington will continue to look closely at Taiwan's arms sales requests and that it will not consult with Beijing on its security cooperation or arms decisions involving Taiwan.

"That's the framework. The decision itself will be made by Washington under that framework at a time and in a nature that reflect our own national interests as well as our commitments to Taiwan," Young said.

He believes that the efforts of all three of the triangle's sides can help reduce the possibility that Taiwan might be a land mine in U.S.-China relations, as some have suggested.