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Taiwan not yet informed of U.S. arms sale decision: MOFA

ROC Central News Agency

2011/07/22 22:37:44

By Emmanuelle Tzeng, Lo Chu-tung and Elizabeth Hsu

Taipei, July 22 (CNA) The United States will reportedly decide whether to sell F-16 C/D jet fighters to Taiwan by Oct. 1, but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Friday it has yet to receive any formal notification on the matter from Washington.

The ministry would "welcome any decision by the U.S. that helps improve Taiwan's self-defense capability," said Bruce Linghu, head of the ministry's Department of North American Affairs.

But he would not comment on reports saying that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will decide on the arms sale in exchange for having a newly appointed deputy approved.

Meanwhile, Ministry of National Defense (MND) spokesman Lo Shao-ho reiterated that the MND would continue to communicate with the U.S. side on Taiwan's wish to buy the advanced jet fighters.

A Washington Post blog on Thursday reported that Clinton will announce by Oct. 1 what kind of jet fighters the U.S. will sell to Taiwan.

Clinton also said she would release on Oct. 1 a report, required by Congress, that assesses whether Taiwan's air force needs the jets, the Post's blog said.

The promise was made after Republican Senator John Cornyn from Texas threatened to block confirmation of Under Secretary of State William Burns as her deputy if a decision on the planes was not made.

According to both the Post and Bloomberg News, U.S.-Taiwan Business Council President Rupert Hammond-Chambers said that judging by the timing of the announcement, the U.S. would likely only agree to help upgrade Taiwan's 145 old F-16A/Bs.

He explained that with China's likely future president, Xi Jinping, expected to visit Washington D.C. at the end of this year, the U.S. and President Barack Obama would probably not sell the newer F-16C/Ds to Taiwan before the visit to avoid angering China.

"If Obama were planning to upset the Chinese, he would likely wait until after that meeting to announce it, not Oct. 1," Hammond-Chambers was quoted as saying.

Asked about the reports, Christopher Kavanagh, the spokesman for the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), said the U.S. has not yet made any decision on the issue.

The AIT is the U.S. representative office in Taiwan in the absence of official bilateral ties.