Dear
Mr. Vice President Richard B. Cheney, Give our foundation’s appreciation with heartily mind over your support in democratic Taiwan. July 7, 2001 --- Taiwan now shares a greater
measure of responsibility for ensuring security in the Asia-Pacific
region, a fact which the US has acknowledged in its move to sell advance
weaponry to Taiwan in this year’s arms talks between the countries,
President Chen Shui-bian told Jane’s Defense Weekly magazine. “I believe that after obtaining
these weapons, the people of Taiwan will be able to strengthen Taiwan’s
freedom and democracy and more confidently pursue constructive contacts
and dialogues with the Chinese communists, bringing greater assurance to
the task of safeguarding security in the Taiwan Strait,” Chen said. “Our national defense policy takes into account the common interests in peace and stability, which are shared by the entire Asia-Pacific region. The Republic of China will continue to do its utmost to protect the security of the Taiwan Strait and hopes that increased diplomacy and our new weapon systems will help make even greater contributions to the peace and security of the Asia-Pacific region as a whole,” he said. Chen made the statements in an
article submitted to the magazine to be published on Wednesday. In his article, Chen
highlighted Taiwan’s growing role in maintaining security in the
Asia-Pacific region as well as the mounting military threat from China. Chen first thanked US President
George Bush for his decision “to provide Taiwan several types of
defensive weapons” in this year’s arms talks between Taiwan and the
US. Bush’s decision makes Chen
“aware that Taiwan now bears an even greater measure of responsibility
for ensuring security in Asia and the Pacific.” Chen praised Bush for his clear
understanding of Taiwan’s defense requirements in the face of China’s
continuous arms build-up. “The [People’s Republic of
China] has provocatively and consistently increased the number of M-9 and
M-11 guided missiles it deploys along the southeast coast targeting Taiwan
year after year, and continues to carry out threatening amphibious
landings aimed at displaying their ability to storm the island,” Chen
said. “At present, Taiwan’s ability
to defend itself against a [Chinese] missile attack or submarine blockade
is rather weak,” Chen said. “President Bush’s approval of the sale
of submarines and Kidd-class destroyers to Taiwan has persuaded the people
of Taiwan that he shares our perceptions of [Taiwan’s] defense
requirements.” Chen went on to say that
Taiwan’s planned purchase of advanced weaponry is not for an arms race
with China, but a response to China’s aggressive arms build-up. “The Chinese communists … will
not abandon the option of using military force against Taiwan and continue
to aggressively build up their arms,” Chen said. “Their aggressive posture forces
Taiwan to be all the more vigilant about its political relations with the
PRC. As a point of fact, if the Chinese communists would not aim their
missiles at us, we would not feel the need to seek to buy AEGIS-equipped
destroyers or participate in the US’ Theater Missile Defense program,”
he said. “If the Chinese communists
did not repeatedly threaten Taiwan with surface and underwater warfare and
blockades, we would not be driven to purchase hunter-killer submarines,”
he said. “In other words, Taiwan’s arms procurements are nothing more
than a responsible move towards an existing threat,” he said. Ever since the end of the Cold
War, Chen said, “[China] has attempted to stop the US and European
countries selling advanced arms to … Taiwan.” “By cutting off the delivery of
the arms which Taiwan needs for self-defense, the cross-strait military
balance would tile in [China]’s favor and that, in turn, would force
Taiwan to submit politically to the communists.” Chen said his administration is
seeking to establish “confidence-building measures” to promote trust
between Taiwan and China. “[These measures are] derived
from strategic European model, as our key defense strategy,” Chen said. “I believe that the
implementation of these measures will effectively strengthen mutual trust,
end the arms race across the Taiwan Strait and guarantee regional
stability,” he said. “In fact, we have already
published a white paper on defense strategy to formalize these objectives
and hope that the PRC will reciprocate in full measure.” In our viewpoint; Beijing
said that “no way for talking about peaceful communication, only if
admitting “one China Principle”, despite any kinds of good attitude
from Taiwan. For Beijing’s side, it
gave Taiwan questions and fixed in one answer – P.R.C talk. So, Taiwan always needs your help.
Yours
Sincerely,
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