Taiwan resolved to procure weapons systems from U.S.

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Taiwan resolved to procure weapons systems from U.S.

Central News Agency 2008-09-28 08:04 PM

Taiwan's plans to procure weapons systems from the United States remain unchanged, as the nation is resolved to defend itself militarily and needs to beef up its self-defense capability, Chang Shuo-wen, a ruling Kuomintang (KMT) legislative caucus whip said Sunday. Taiwan has submitted its military procurement plans to the United States and it is now up to the Bush administration to decide what to do about Taiwan's requests, President Ma Ying-jeou said recently. Taiwan is seeking to buy a weapons package of anti-tank missiles, Apache helicopters, Patriot PAC-3 missile batteries, diesel-electric submarines, P3C Orion anti-submarine aircraft, sea-launched Harpoon anti-ship missiles, and Black Eagle helicopters from the U.S. The U.S. Department of State told Taiwanese news media Friday that Taiwan's arms procurement package is still under inter-departmental screening by the George W. Bush administration. Once a final decision is made on the arms procurement package, the executive branch would notify Congress immediately, the State Department said. When asked whether the arms procurement proposal would be left up to the new U.S. administration, a State Department official said that "there is no timetable for that matter." Commenting on the uncertainties surrounding the arms deal, KMT Legislator Lin Yu-fang, who is the convener of the Legislative Yuan Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, said there is no need for Taiwan to worry too much, given that Taiwan remains part of the strategic interests of the United States. Washington would not like to see the Taiwan Strait become a waterway of China, as this would open a big hole in the U.S. defense frontline in the West Pacific, he added. Noting that the supply of defense weapons to Taiwan is part of the stipulations in the United States' Taiwan Relations Act, Lin expressed confidence that whoever is elected the next president of the U.S. will not renege on the commitment. Lin attributed the "bumpy ride" of Taiwan's arms procurement package partly to Washington's reliance on China's cooperation in U.S. anti-terrorism efforts and in its spiraling financial and economic storms. For example, China currently holds between US$500 billion and US$950 billion worth of U.S. Treasury bonds, he said. http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_....php?id=750466