US House pressures Bush on F-16 sale

As has been widely reported, the State Department's opposition to the F-16 sale originally stemmed from the Legislative Yuan's failure to approve spending for a broader package of arms sales that Bush offered Taiwan in 2001.

But it later became embroiled in department anger over President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) plan for an election-day referendum on joining the UN using the name "Taiwan" and other acts by Chen that have annoyed the Taiwan affairs section of the department.

The House bill declares that "it shall continue to be the policy of the United States, consistent with the Taiwan Relations Act, to make available to Taiwan such defense articles and services as may be necessary for Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability."

It also says that "the United States should determine the nature and quantity of such defense articles and services `based solely' upon the legitimate defense needs of Taiwan."