Text Fwd: U.S. not stopping arms sales to Taiwan: Military

* Text Fwd from Rick Rozoff (also in StopNATO)
Taiwan News
January 4, 2010
U.S. not stopping arms sales to Taiwan: Military

TAIPEI: The Ministry of National Defense denied media reports Monday that the United States was stopping plans to sell military hardware to Taiwan.

Not only the sale of advanced F-16 C/D jets and Black Hawk helicopters had been put off, but even the delivery of parts worth US$50 million was stalling, the Chinese-language Apple Daily said. If the military did not receive those parts by May or June, some of its most sophisticated weapons systems would be difficult to use, according to the paper.

The ministry rejected the reports, saying it had received no such notification from Washington. All military deals worth more than US$50 million needed the authorization of Congress, the ministry added.

Ruling Kuomintang lawmaker Lin Yu-fang said that last week’s decision by the Legislative Yuan to take measures against the imports of potentially risky U.S. beef products had provided State Department opponents of arms sales to Taiwan with an excuse to step up their obstruction.

On the opposite side, the Washington Post reported Sunday that the Obama Administration would soon announce the sale to Taiwan of a package worth billions of U.S. dollars including the Black Hawk helicopters, anti-missile systems and plans for diesel-powered submarines in a move likely to anger China.

In combination with an eventual meeting with the Dalai Lama later this month, the weapons announcement might lead to a strong reaction from Beijing, the paper said.

China might decide to cancel military exchanges with the U.S. or keep its President Hu Jintao away from a nuclear security summit in April, the Washington Post said.
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