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China warns US against selling Taiwan radarsAP August 28, 2010, 12:33 am TWN    U.S. State Department spokesman Philip J. Crowley said earlier this week that the U.S. sale includes “defense services, technical data, and defense articles” for Taiwan's air defense system, and radar equipment for the island's Indigenous Defense Fighter jets. Crowley did not put a monetary figure on the deal or identify the American companies involved. The U.S. is obligated by its own laws to provide Taiwan defensive weapons. Beijing opposes any military sales to Taiwan as interference in its internal affairs, and the issue has often strained U.S.-China relations. “China resolutely opposes the United States selling weapons and relevant technical assistance to Taiwan,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said in a statement. “We urge the United States to ... put an end to arms sales to Taiwan and military ties with Taiwan to avoid causing new harm to Sino-U.S. relations.” Taiwan's Defense Ministry has not commented on the planned sale, but the U.S.-Taiwan Business Council, a private advocacy group based in suburban Washington, called it “a small move.” For years the island has been pressing the U.S. to sell it 66 F-16 C/D fighter jets to help counteract a long-standing Chinese military buildup, much of which has been aimed at providing Beijing the wherewithal to invade across the 100-mile-wide (160-kilometer-wide) Taiwan Strait. Taiwan and China split amid civil war in 1949 and the mainland still claims the island as part of its territory. It has threatened to attack if democratic Taiwan moves to make its de facto independence permanent. Earlier this year it suspended defense exchanges with Washington after the U.S. announced it would make available to Taiwan a US$6.4 billion weapons package. Some Taiwanese defense officials fear that the threat of additional Chinese pressure has already convinced Washington to take the F-16 C/D sale off the table. However, they continue to hope that the Obama administration might agree to a substantial upgrade of the F-16 A/B fighters currently in the island's inventory as a kind of consolation prize. Last week after the release of a Pentagon report criticizing the secrecy surrounding China's military expansion, Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou urged Washington to sell the advanced version of the F16 fighter. Beijing said the report was “not beneficial.” In contrast to F-16s, the Indigenous Defense Fighter at the center of the new radar deal is widely regarded as a relatively unsophisticated aircraft, incapable of holding its own against the fourth generation fighters now in the possession of the Chinese air force.
3 Comments  Submit Your Comment August 29, 2010 bwmmiller@ Reply America - arms dealers to the world! Without them, no more wars? August 29, 2010 edcheng@ When will the mainland government and its officials learned to stop protesting whatever US military sales and supports to Taiwan which has every right to upgrade its military capabilities and capacities. If the mainland Chinese leaders have the common sense and vision, they should allowed Taiwan to procure the most advanced weapons, systems or hardware from the US. It is a well known fact that Taiwan can ill-afford to engage in an arms race with the mainland. Equally glaring is the fact that the US government will never sell their top of the range military hardware to Taiwan for obvious reasons. If I am Hu Jintao, I will helped finance Taiwan and demand the best military systems, weapons, ships, submarines, planes, bombs, and if possible, the latest air-craft carrier. In fact, China and Taiwan should feel offended right now as the US is selling either no more than third grade or almost obsolete military products to Taiwan. Taiwan is also forced to paid through the nose in exchange for Uncle Sam protection. What have China got to be afraid of? The mainland defense and military officials always bragged about their military capabilities and breakthroughs, please don't tell me that they can't even deal with or matched the third grades or below military systems, weapons and hardware of the US. If this is the case, then China should give up ever becoming a global superpower. The US won't sell to them, and forces its western allies to adopt the stance. For one good reason, the western world is afraid of the 'Yellow Race', including the Taiwanese and the rest of the overseas Chinese, whether we like it or not... August 30, 2010 rajsmarty_2003@ Why would we want to threaten USA. They are always the champion country. |
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