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Ma panned over
‘languishing’ military
CUTTING WORDS: A DPP lawmaker said that the
president’s secret ‘commitment’ to not request certain weapons systems while
publicly requesting them was a ‘major deception’
By Vincent Y. Chaoand Shih Hsiu-chuan / Staff Reporters
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers yesterday accused President Ma
Ying-jeou (馬英九) of allowing Taiwan’s military to languish through budget cuts,
as highlighted in a recent cable released by WikiLeaks.
The Taipei Times reported on the leaked US diplomatic cable on Sunday that
outlined a list of “commitments” by Ma, including one not to request certain
weapons systems as part of a -“surprise-free” approach to relations with the US.
The cable, from the US embassy in Bangkok on March 20, 2009, did not elaborate
on the types of weapons, but critics believe this was a reference to F-16C/D
fighter aircraft and diesel-electric submarines, two items that have long been
on Taipei’s shopping list.
“The president appears willing to make a set of promises abroad, but hide them
from the Taiwanese public,” DPP Legislator Lin Shu-fen (林淑芬) said. “Making this
sort of commitment while pressing for [major arms purchases] at the same time is
a major deception.”
During a press conference, DPP lawmakers said the cable lent credibility to
claims that Ma had not been candid about his relationships with China and the
US.
This raises questions as to whether other commitments have been made, especially
on defense, they said.
“We are deeply concerned that Ma doesn’t have the determination to defend
Taiwan,” DPP Legislator Wong Chin-chu (翁金珠) said.
The criticism comes amid controversy over a string of budget cuts that have
reduced Taiwan’s defense spending to a five-year low this year. Despite an
election promise by Ma to raise defense spending to 3 percent of GDP, only 2.2
percent of GDP was allocated to defense this year.
“Defense spending has come steadily down since 2008, which is occurring amid
rising personnel costs,” DPP Legislator Yeh Yi-jin (葉宜津) said. “This means we
are paying more for people rather than [investing] in fighting capabilities.”
Yeh said the cuts had weakened Taiwan’s military, a move that could impact the
nation’s relations with the US.
Responding to the criticism, Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Yang (楊進添)
denied the existence of a secret deal between Taiwan and the US to limit arms
sales.
The Chinese-language Apple Daily on Tuesday quoted an anonymous source as saying
that the three commitments made by Ma to Washington at the beginning of his
administration had resulted in Taiwan missing out on the chance to purchase
F-16C/D jets.
In a press statement late on Tuesday, the ministry elaborated on the second
commitment, saying Taiwan would not “hastily” ask for weapons just to show that
the US would sell them to Taiwan, adding that arms requests would be based on
security needs.
“Media reports saying that Ma promised the US that he would not request certain
weapons systems are inconsistent with the facts and have distorted the contents
of the cable,” it said.
Talking to reporters yesterday, Yang said Taiwan had a basic understanding with
the US that Taipei’s requests for military items, weapons types and quantities
were assessed on an as-needed basis.
Ministry of National Defense spokesman Lo Shao-ho (羅紹和) said Taiwan had
presented letters of intent to the US on the F16-C/Ds on three occasions, the
latest being on Feb. 15, 2007.
The reason Taiwan did not present any subsequent letters of intent was because
the US government had yet to decide on the request, Lo said.
Just because Taipei had not sent another letter of request after 2008 did not
mean Taiwan had changed its defense commitments, as Ma has publicly urged the US
to release the F-16C/Ds and diesel-electric submarines, Lo said.
As for another of Ma’s commitments, whereby Taiwan would not insist on certain
names or titles for domestic political considerations, Yang said the government
had adopted a pragmatic and flexible approach to deal with its participation in
international relations under the premise that the nation’s status would not
undermined.
“We do not insist on specific names. In selecting names, ‘Republic of China’
takes precedence over ‘Taiwan,’ followed by ‘Chinese Taipei.’ Pragmatism is more
workable,” Yang said.
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