Although the US has agreed to let Taiwan purchase up to eight diesel submarines in two stages, with the design and production costs billed separately, it is still refusing Taipei's request that the subs be built at home.
In a letter from Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Asia and the Pacific Richard Lawless to Minister of National Defense Lee Jye (
According to a copy of the letter obtained by the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times' sister newspaper), Lawless said that the US is opposed to the idea of Taiwan manufacturing its own submarines, which many lawmakers in Taipei have been urging.
He said all related intellectual property concerning the subs would be subject to the US' export control regulations.
In the letter, Lawless mentioned that he had written to Lee twice, once in May 2004 and once in July last year, both times mentioning that the US government "would not authorize nor provide Taiwan with the capability to create, produce or export submarines."
In his latest letter, Lawless emphasized that in order to assist Taiwan in preserving and repairing the subs, intellectual property and other information pertaining to the vessels transferred to Taiwan by the US Navy would be subject to export controls.
Taiwan would be unable to use the diesel-submarine designs for other purposes after selecting a particular design and commencing production of the subs because of the US' export control rules. Even though the US has agreed to the two-stage approach, many restrictions remain.
Lawless said the US government had convened a meeting with US defense businesses. Major contractors were still interested in selling Taiwan the subs and would be willing to participate in contract bidding according to the two-stage approach, he said.
A US official said Lawless's latest letter was in response to a request by the Taiwan's Navy. He has yet to receive response from the Ministry of National Defense, the official said.
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