A delay in the allocation of funds to purchase the weapons could be interpreted by the US to mean that Taipei does not take the Chinese threat seriously.
It would also affect the foundations of US-Taiwan relations.
Diplomacy is a give-and-take process. The US has actively contributed to Taiwan's defense over the past years through security cooperation. It maintains, for instance, a signals intelligence facility on Yangminshan that provides Taipei with information vital to its defense.
The presence of US troops at the Hankuang No.19 Exercise next month will provide further proof of Washington's determination to preserve peace in the Taiwan Strait.
While the US is giving a lot, Taiwan keeps on asking for more without offering much in return.
Taipei calls for the signing of a free trade agreement with the US that would boost its network of economic ties and the US stake in the nation's security. Taiwan, however, has failed so far to eradicate the piracy of US optical products and computer software.
Taiwan's reluctance to take a decision over the arms package risks being perceived as an abuse of US confidence. Washington could come to feel that Taiwan is taking advantage of its unconditional commitment to it by not making necessary investments in its own defense.
Some US officials, according to a Taiwan Defense Review report, have already been upset by Taiwanese lawmakers' leaks of confidential information for the purpose of showing off US support for Taipei. In 2001, for instance, Power News reported on US-Taiwan collaboration on an underwater system for tracking submarines. And last year, talks about giving Taipei access to highly classified satellite warning information were leaked to the press.
Those leaks have undermined the mutual trust between the US and Taiwan by creating trouble in the US-China relationship.
Taiwan risks a weakening of its position in the Washington-Beijing-Taipei triangular game by not quickly making up its mind about the arms package. Further delay would convey the feeling that Taiwan does not much value its friendship with the US.
Trung Latieule is an editorial assistant at the International Herald Tribune in France.
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