The US State Department on Monday issued a mild rebuke to Premier Yu Shyi-kun for talking about a "balance of terror" with China in the face of military intimidation by Beijing. But the Pentagon reiterated its intention to sell more weapons to Taiwan.
Answering a question about Yu's statement, which he made over the weekend, State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said, "We would prefer to see comments that focus on dialogue as opposed to references to the use of force or other unilateral moves."
Yu, in remarks on Saturday in response to a mass rally against the government's US$18 billion arms-purchase plan, said Taiwan should be able to launch a missile counterattack against Shanghai if China fires its missiles at Taiwan.
Such a scenario would "see a `balance of terror' being maintained across the Taiwan Strait so that national security is safeguarded," Yu said. Asked about that at his regular daily press briefing, Ereli repeated his oft-stated comment that the US "opposes moves by either side that would increase tension across the Taiwan Strait."
"And it is our view that the issues relating to the Taiwan Strait should be solved through dialogue and not by unilateral actions by either side," he added.
However, Ereli refused to say whether he thought Yu's remarks increase tensions across the Strait.
The Pentagon, however, reaffirmed its arms-sales commitment to Taiwan.
"The Department of Defense remains fully committed to fulfilling the security and arms sales provision of the Taiwan Relations Act," a department spokesman told the Taipei Times.
"We'll continue to assist Taiwan in meeting its legitimate self defense needs in accordance with our obligations" under the act, he said.
The spokesman had no comment on the arms sales package being sought by President Chen Shui-bian's (
Defense Department officials, including deputy secretary Paul Wolfowitz, reaffirmed the commitment in meetings with a Legislative Yuan delegation to Washington headed by Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (
The meetings accelerated the pace of the negotiations with the US to reach agreement on the terms of the arms package sale, eliciting criticism from Beijing, intensifying efforts by the Chen government to secure funding for the purchase, and sparking opposition to the package that culminated in the opposition rally last weekend.
In response to Ereli's remarks, Cabinet spokesman Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said yesterday that Taiwan would absolutely not provoke China, nor would it launch a first strike.
"Our ultimate defense policy is to prevent war. We have consistently adopted a defensive posture. `Effective deterrence and firm defense' is still our top military buildup goal. Our defensive strategy has not changed," Chen said, adding that Taiwan has spared no effort to defuse cross-strait tension and maintain regional peace.
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