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Taiwan lawmakers in U.S. to push for F-16 C/D sales

ROC Central News Agency

2011/07/07 15:25:15

By Oscar Wu and Deborah Kuo

Los Angeles, July 6 (CNA) A group of Taiwanese legislators across party lines arrived Wednesday in the U.S. state of Arizona, part of their current American trip to lobby for the United States to approve Taiwan's request to buy F-16 C/D fighter jets.

During a conversation with a CNA reporter in Los Angeles before heading to Arizona, Shuai Hua-min from the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) said the group, comprised of six members of the Taiwan-USA Inter-Parliamentary Amity Association, is seeking U.S. arms sales to Taiwan to help address the military imbalance across the Taiwan Strait.

Shuai said Taiwan cannot afford to give up self-defense preparedness, especially given the rate that China is building up its military. He said the U.S. is obliged to provide Taiwan with sufficient weapon systems for self-defense based on the Taiwan Relations Act.

Although Taiwan will consider an upgrade for its existing F-16 A/B fleet, the acquisition of the F-16 C/Ds remains the country's top priority, Shuai said.

He said his group will raise Taiwan's voices louder for the acquisition, even though President Ma Ying-jeou has made similar requests 20 times and has so far been ignored.

The delegation will on Thursday visit Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, currently the only active duty F-16 training base in the world.

KMT Legislators Lii Ming-shing, Liao Wan-ju, Hsu Shao-ping, and Kuo Su-chun are also on the trip, as well as opposition Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Twu Shiing-jer. The party of six will meet Taiwanese jet fighter crew members who are receiving training at Luke Air Force Base.

After the Arizona visit, the lawmakers plan to hone in their lobbying efforts in Washington, D.C., where they are expected to pay visits to the State Department, the Pentagon, the House of Representatives and the Senate, according to Lii.

The delegation plans to enlist the help of ethnic Chinese U.S. representatives David Wu and Judy Mary Chu to push the U.S. government to sell the fighters to Taiwan.