20100212 On arms, Ma has let Taiwanese down badly

On arms, Ma has let Taiwanese down badly

By James Wang 王景弘
Friday, Feb 12, 2010, Page 8

‘The government under Ma has failed to secure the weapons that should have been at the top of Taiwan’s list.’

In its coverage of US arms sales to Taiwan, the US media have interpreted China’s anger in terms of it regarding Taiwan as part of its territory and a renegade province.

When Washington announced the sale of anti-aircraft missiles, minesweepers and combat helicopters, China objected, as it always does, and suspended several military contracts with the US.

The difference between China’s response this time and on previous occasions was less one of severity and more one of tack: This time Beijing decided to boycott US companies involved in manufacturing the arms.

Arms sales is an intergovernmental issue. The reason Beijing objects to the sale is that it considers Taiwan to be a part of China. The funny thing is that it only called on the US not to sell the arms and threatened to boycott private companies, but didn’t “order” Taiwan not to make the purchase. This contradictory and, frankly, laughable stance just goes to show that Taiwan is not a part of China.

President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has proved himself to be weak and incompetent when it comes to national defense, his actions inconsistent and informed by self-interest. When the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was in power, Ma and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) prevented the procurement of an arms package already agreed to by then-US president George W. Bush, and which Beijing was powerless to stop, by rejecting the budget for it.

Now that the KMT is in power, Beijing is fully aware that it cannot ask Ma to refuse military procurements, as he is the president. It knows that if Ma is seen to be going along with China’s wishes at the expense of national security, then it will not only cause problems within the KMT and anger the military, but will also provoke the electorate.

Ma is only seeing things in the short term. When he was in opposition, he was all about power and prestige and putting a spanner in the works. Now he appears to be quite happy with the second-rate package offered by the Obama administration, believing it will give Taiwan more confidence in its dealings with China.

Nonsense. China has consistently put pressure on the US to downsize the package, and it has, at the very least, succeeded in putting a stop to the sale of advanced F-16 C/D fighter planes and diesel-electric submarines that Taiwan has sought for a long time.

Still, the US government’s decision shows that it will not bow down to China’s threats and that it is simply fulfilling its obligations under the Taiwan Relations Act. However, the arms it has agreed to sell to Taiwan are limited to those that will enable Taipei to defend its waters and territory. They leave Taiwan with few defense options.

The government under Ma has failed to secure the weapons that should have been at the top of Taiwan’s list. Instead, it has only bought second-choice items that the US had previously promised and that the KMT boycotted at the time.

This is where Ma has messed up, and why both he and the KMT are derelict in their duty. They have been fooling around with national security, and have let the Taiwanese public down.

James Wang is a media commentator.