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Taiwan's RIMPAC participation a matter of policy: U.S. commander

ROC Central News Agency

2013/11/06 15:41:11

Washington, Nov. 5 (CNA) Taiwan's inclusion in the Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC) depends on a policy decision, the chief commander of United States forces in the Pacific said Tuesday.

'To the question of Taiwan and RIMPAC...that's a policy decision that would have to be made about whether or not that would occur or not,' Adm. Samuel Locklear, commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, said at a news conference.

Some U.S. congressmen have written to President Barack Obama demanding that the U.S. military invite Taiwan to participate in RIMPAC, the world's largest international maritime warfare exercise.

It is hosted by the U.S. Pacific Fleet biennially in June and July of even-numbered years in Honolulu.

Noting that the U.S.'s primary goal is ensure cross-Taiwan Strait stability, Locklear said the United States wants 'to do the things that improve the opportunity for success and that stability, rather than try to find things that might make it less stable.'

The issue of whether to invite Taiwan to an exercise like RIMPAC would require 'a long policy discussion about the implications and the pros and cons of doing that,' he said.

The discussion would not only cover the U.S. relationship with Taiwan but also 'the stability of the region in general,' Locklear said.

Turning to the recent delivery of six U.S.-built AH-64E Apache attack helicopters to Taiwan, Locklear said the choppers 'have a tremendous multi-mission role across all aspects of what you might think about doing with them.'

The aircraft, currently the most advanced model of the AH-64 Apache, can even be used for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions, Locklear said.

The six AH-64Es are part of an order of 30 of the advanced attack helicopters that Taiwan's military bought for NT$59.31 billion (US$2.01 billion) under a deal announced in 2008 by then-U.S. President George W. Bush.

Taiwan will be the first country apart from the U.S. to deploy this type of helicopter when the six Apaches become operational in April 2014 at air bases in northern Taiwan. The U.S. Army took delivery of its first AH-64Es at the end of 2011.

A second batch of Apache helicopters is scheduled to be delivered to Taiwan in late December and the full order will be completed in five batches by the end of 2014, according to Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense.

(By Tony Liao and Sofia Wu)
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