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Resolution on F-16s
in US Congress
BALANCE OF POWER: Aside from the resolution,
which has broad, bipartisan support, a senior official said Beijing would not
influence US decisions on arms sales to Taiwan
By William Lowther / Staff Reporter in WASHINGTON
A resolution calling on US President Barack Obama to quickly approve the sale of
advanced F-16 fighters to Taiwan ˇX and expeditiously deliver them ˇX was
introduced in the US Congress on Wednesday.
In a related development, a senior US official told the US-China Economic and
Security Review Commission that objections from Beijing would not influence
decisionmaking on arms sales to Taiwan.
The resolution was introduced by Democratic Representative Robert Andrews and
Republican Representative Scott Garrett.
This in itself was remarkable because the two represent opposite ends of the
political spectrum and give some indication of the widespread support for the
sale from both sides in Washington.
ˇ§The President should take immediate steps to redress the deteriorating balance
of airpower [across the Taiwan Strait] and move forward expeditiously with the
sale to Taiwan of new F-16C/D aircraft and upgrades of the existing F-16A/B
fleet,ˇ¨ the resolution said.
It reflected the concern of Taiwanˇ¦s supporters in the US that the Obama
administration has been delaying a decision on arms sales because of fears that
Beijing will react by breaking off all US-China military-to-military contacts.
ˇ§The continuing deterioration of Taiwanˇ¦s F-16 fleet stands in stark contrast to
Chinaˇ¦s unending growth of its defense budget,ˇ¨ said Bob Yang (·¨^¨|), president
of the Washington-based Formosan Association for Public Affairs.
ˇ§Not only is Taiwanˇ¦s national security interest at stake in this process, but
the US national interest and US credibility and reputation in the region as
well,ˇ¨ he said.
ˇ§Chinaˇ¦s motives are clear. They want to annex Taiwan and if they do not succeed
in doing so peacefully, they will do it by force. It is therefore high time for
Congress to affirm the democratic notion of self-determination emphasizing that
the future of Taiwan should be determined peacefully and solely by the people of
Taiwan and not by China,ˇ¨ he added.
The resolution stated that the US has ˇ§vital security and strategic interestsˇ¨
in Taiwan and asked the US House of Representatives to express ˇ§grave concernˇ¨
about the continued deployment of more than 1,400 ballistic missiles directed at
Taiwan by China.
ˇ§The president should seek a public and unequivocal renunciation from the
leaders of the Peopleˇ¦s Republic of China of any threat or use of force against
Taiwan and the region,ˇ¨ it states.
The resolution has been referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs where
chairman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Republican, is almost certain to give it
support.
At the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission hearings, David Helvey ˇX
the US Department of Defenseˇ¦s principal director for East Asia policy ˇX said
the Obama administration remained fully committed to its legal obligations under
the Taiwan Relations Act to provide Taiwan with defensive weapons.
He said that the White House understood Beijingˇ¦s objection to arms sales to
Taiwan, but that concerns China would break off military contacts if the arms
sales went ahead would not influence its decision.
ˇ§The larger challenge for us is to be able to have a discussion with our Chinese
friends to get them to see and identify that thereˇ¦s a need for a continuous
dialogue and to maintain open channels of communication between our two
militaries,ˇ¨ Helvey said.
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