Taiwan to continue U.S. F-16 bid: president
ROC Central News Agency
2011/08/16 12:46:47
Taipei, Aug. 16 (CNA) President Ma Ying-jeou said Tuesday that Taiwan will continue its efforts to acquire F-16 C/D fighters and diesel-powered submarines from the United States despite improved ties with mainland China.
Raising the issue during a promotion ceremony for senior military cadres, Ma stressed that the proposed procurement is not intended to increase tensions across the Taiwan Strait but to allow for gradual replacement of aging equipment.
Also, Ma said, the requested items are all defensive weapons that Taiwan lacks the capacity to produce by itself. This is in line with the Taiwan Relations Act, which obliges the United States to provide Taiwan with the arms it needs to defend itself, he added.
"We won't engage in an arms race with mainland China, but we need to build up a strong and streamlined military force," the president said.
The government will not relax the country's defenses just because cross-strait relations have improved, he said, identifying national security as the most important foundation for economic development and social stability.
He reiterated that there are "three lines of defense" in building national security. They are namely establishing rapport with Beijing, enhancing Taiwan's contribution to the international community, and aligning defense with diplomacy.
Taiwan has asked Washington for price quotes on F-16 C/D fighter jets three times since 2006, the latest of which was made in February 2007.
None of those requests have been accepted, however, on the grounds that the U.S. government had not yet formulated a policy on the issue.
It was recently reported that Washington would decide on whether to sell Taiwan F-16 C/Ds by Oct. 1, but a latest report in Defense News said that the U.S. had decided not to agree to sell Taiwan the fighter aircraft. (By Kelven Huang and Y.F. Low) ENDITEM/ls
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