Upgraded F-16 A/Bs to have same quality as F-16 C/Ds: U.S. official
ROC Central News Agency
2011/09/20 17:23:24
Tony Liao & Bear Lee
Washington, Sept. 19 (CNA) A senior U.S. official said Monday that Taiwan would stand to gain 145 F-16 A/B fighter jets versus only 66 F-16 C/Ds if Washington chooses to upgrade Taiwan's F-16 A/B fleet rather than sell the C/D version.
The State Department official was commenting on a report by the Washington Times Sept. 16 that the administration of President Barack Obama has decided not to sell the more advanced F-16 C/Ds that have been requested by Taiwan, and instead will offer to upgrade Taiwan's existing F-16 A/B fleet.
"Assuming the (U.S. government's) decision is to upgrade the F-16 A/Bs, they will provide essentially the same quality as new F-16 C/D aircraft at a far cheaper price. And Taiwan would stand to get 145 A/Bs versus only 66 C/Ds," he said.
The U.S. is profoundly committed to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and that commitment remains unwavering, the official said, adding that the scale and pace of arms sales to Taiwan over the past two and a half years is unprecedented.
He said weapons sales to Taiwan since 2009 "will be greater than in the previous four years, and they will be double the sales that occurred between 2004 and 2008."
He also hinted that the U.S. would not rule out the possibility of providing the new aircraft to Taiwan in the future.
"We are obviously prepared to consider further sales in the future," he said.
In addition, he added, the administration has taken strong steps to deepen relations with Taiwan in concrete ways beyond this dossier, including the Visa Waiver Program, education initiatives, trade and energy initiatives, and helping Taiwan to have more access to international bodies like the World Health Organization.
The official said the executive branch is expected to notify Congress with regard to its decision on the issue by the end of this week.
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