20110701 Cornyn, Clinton discuss Taiwan

Cornyn, Clinton discuss Taiwan

PLAYING WITH FIRE: Some US officials have argued that withholding the sale of F-16s to Taiwan will be seen as a ‘reward’ by Beijing which will respond accordingly

By William Lowther / Staff Reporter in Washington

Texas Senator John Cornyn has opened direct negotiations with US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton over the release of a long-delayed report to the US Congress on the state of Taiwan’s air force.

The report is now 16 months overdue and Cornyn believes it would provide powerful evidence to support Taipei’s request to buy 66 F-16C/D aircraft.

While Clinton is not immediately involved with the Pentagon — where the report is being produced — she is one of the most influential figures within the administration of US President Barack Obama and wields enormous power.

She is talking with Cornyn on this issue — vital to Taiwan — because he is blocking a full US Senate vote on the nomination of William Burns, who is set to be the next deputy secretary of state and Clinton’s No. 2.

Cornyn, a senior Republican, is refusing to let the nomination go forward until the Obama administration approves the sale of the F-16s to Taiwan and releases the airpower report.

He reminded a Heritage Foundation conference on Wednesday that last year he introduced an amendment to the Defense Authorization Bill that required a Taiwan airpower report from the US Department of Defense 90 days after the bill became law, and now, 16 months later, the Department of Defense has still not produced the report.

“Of course, the report would state the capabilities of Taiwan’s air force as well as provide an analysis to the specific weapons systems that Taiwan needs in order to defend itself,” Cornyn said.

“Like I said, it’s 16 months overdue. I talked to Secretary Clinton yesterday because I had put a hold on a nominee, which is one of the rare points of leverage a senator has to try to get the attention of executive branch departments,” he said. “And she tells me that it’s now in the interagency review process and may take another three months or so before it’s completed.”

“We’re keeping the conversation going,” he said.

Clinton has enough clout within the administration to speed the report through the review process and get it released quickly.

Cornyn also reminded the audience of China experts that the White House had failed to accept Taiwan’s letter of request for the purchase of new F-16s.

“That’s not to say they have to actually sell them yet, but at least they should accept the letter of request,” Cornyn said.

He warned that the failure to produce the report — certain to show that Taiwan’s airforce is badly in need of a major boost — and the failure so far to sell the F-16s were both examples of how Beijing has in some ways “intimidated US defense policy and foreign policy because of concerns about irritating the Chinese.”

A source close to Cornyn told the Taipei Times the senator was prepared to keep the hold on Burns’ nomination for as long as it took to spur Clinton into action.

Not only is Cornyn a firm supporter of Taiwan, but if the -F-16C/D sale is approved, the contract will result in new jobs for his constituents in Texas.

Reports show the sale of the fighters and the release of the -report highlighting the growing military imbalance across the Taiwan Strait are being held up by Evan Medeiros, director for China, Taiwan and Mongolian Affairs at the National Security Council.

Medeiros is said to be the leading light among a group of presidential advisers who believe that an F-16 sale would badly impact US-China military exchanges.

He has argued in the past that the use of “rewards and sanctions” will lead China to “expand its commitments and comply with them.”

In this particular case, the logic appears to be that withholding the sale of advanced F-16s to Taiwan will be seen as a “reward” to Beijing and that China will respond by allowing US-China military exchanges to continue.