Fri, Sep 18, 2009 page1

• Security conference speakers emphasize strong Taiwan ties

  • By William Lowther / STAFF REPORTER
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  US Admiral Timothy Keating? remarks on Tuesday that China could break off military-to-衫ilitary exchanges with the US if Washington sells advanced F-16 C/D fighter planes to Taiwan may have grabbed the headlines, but other attendees at the conference stressed the importance of maintaining strong ties with Taiwan in the face of Chinese threats.

  Addressing a conference earlier this week on security in the Asia-Pacific, Keating, the head of US Pacific Command, said there was a ?air likelihood?the break would be made, adding: ? hope they don? react that way. I hope they will take a longer-term view. Our country? policy on Taiwan has been on the books since 1979. It? hardly new and I don? think there? going to be any change to our policy as to whether or not we announce another arms sale ?that? an entirely different matter.?br />

  Keating refused to give an opinion as to whether the F-16 sale would go through, saying that the decision would be made at a much higher level.

  He said, however, that the US had just resumed military-to-衫ilitary dialogue with China after it was suspended by Beijing last October, immediately after Washington announced the last Taiwan arms sales package.

  ?e are anxious to continue this dialogue, to do our best not to have it again suspended for whatever reason,?the admiral said.

  Speaking at the same conference, organized by the 苦ashington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, Frank Jannuzi, East Asia adviser to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said: ? wouldn? put so much confidence in the current goodwill and charm offensive going on between Taipei and Beijing. There are still some fundamental differences in long-term perspective and about how the Taiwan question is going to be resolved, and when, and with what ultimate outcome.?br />

  ? wonder if we ought not to be focusing as much attention on building a strong security partnership with Taiwan as we are with reaching out to China, to make sure that we remain balanced and in position to defend our security interests there,?he said.

  James Kitfield, security and foreign affairs correspondent for the National Journal, said that even though China still had large numbers of missiles aimed at Taiwan, it had ?acked off?from its belligerent position.

  He said: ? was at a breakfast with Admiral Keating before this event and he said the pace of those deployments across the Taiwan Strait ?although they have not been removed ?has slowed considerably.?br />

  Kitfield added: ?on? think that you can get closer and closer military ties to Taiwan and not upset China because we?e learned that is impossible to do.?br />

  ?he key thing to understand about the Taiwan-China military balance is that no amount of arms sales to Taiwan is ever going to give Taiwan the capability to defeat China. The entire exercise is one of deterrence ?it? one of trying to ensure that the Taiwanese are a hard enough target that the Chinese are dissuaded from any adventurism,?Jannuzi replied.

  ?aving said that, you look at the arms package that? already been approved for sale to Taiwan and the fact that Taiwan has not yet proceeded to fully implement that package, and I think a reasonable person would say, now is not the time to be rushing into new arms sales to Taiwan,?he said.

  Jannuzi, a member of the majority Democratic Party congressional staff, added: ?? not hearing on Capitol Hill a groundswell of pressure on the Obama administration to do more on arms sales to Taiwan. I think that people look at the political rapprochement that is underway between Beijing and Taipei, and they take some comfort from that.?br />

  But former State Department official Randall Schriver insisted there was some ?rgency?in supporting Taiwan.

  He said: ?here? an inclination to give the Chinese credit for slowing the pace of the build-up, but the build-up is continuing. In and of itself, that? a pretty remarkable thing given the diplomacy and the improved political environment and the fact that Taiwan has essentially taken an acquisition holiday.?br />

  ?ur arms sales to Taiwan are not a deterrent to cross-strait interactions or diplomacy, they are actually to help Taiwan to have the confidence to go to the negotiating table and to engage in diplomacy in a consequential way without a gun to their head,?he said.
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