It is unlikely that China’s threat of “severe consequences” will sway White House plans to sell several billions of dollars in arms to Taiwan early this year, a source close to the White House said.
But the threat made on Tuesday by Beijing’s Foreign Ministry was nevertheless a “cause for concern” among US President Barack Obama’s national security advisers.
The source said that the threat was “not unexpected” and that the US was prepared for “a more difficult period” in its relationship with Beijing.
While the exact contents of the arms package remain secret, there are strong indications that it will include Black Hawk helicopters and anti-missile batteries.
The Washington Post reported earlier this week that it might also involve design and manufacturing plans for diesel-powered submarines, although this could not be verified by the Taipei Times.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman warned that any arms package would “undermine China-US cooperation.”
Senior Washington officials have indicated that advanced F-16 fighter planes sought by Taipei will not be part of the upcoming arms deal.
This omission — a considerable disappointment to the Taiwan military — is seen by some Washington analysts as an early concession to Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤).
The source close to the White House told the Taipei Times that following Obama’s trip to China late last year, the president hoped that withholding the fighters would be enough to calm Beijing’s reaction to the rest of the arms sales.
However, “Obama will not back down. The arms package will stay on track. Beijing may be overestimating its influence,” the source said.
The source said that while it was unlikely that Beijing would allow the arms sales to stop cooperation on such issues as economic recovery and climate change, there would be significant impact in other areas.
Of most concern is the possibility that China may end — at least temporarily — the recently restarted military-to-military contacts that the White House considers very valuable.
In addition, Beijing’s help to advance US policies in Iran, Afghanistan and North Korea could end and Hu may now refuse to attend a nuclear security summit planned for April.
The Washington Post story published on Sunday said that the arms sales and Obama’s decision to meet the Dalai Lama meant that US-China relations were headed for a “rough patch” despite a concerted effort by Washington to forge closer ties.
David Lampton, director of China Studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, was quoted as saying: “I think it’s going to be nasty. That said, the US and China need each other.”
One analyst said China appeared to be increasing its assertiveness, that Beijing may now believe the US is in decline and that Obama may not have taken a hard enough line during his first year in power.
Coen Blaauw, a senior official with the Washington-based Formosa Association of Public Affairs, said: “Obama is obliged under the law — the Taiwan Relations Act — to sell defensive arms to Taiwan.
“These latest threats from Beijing are hollow. Beijing can’t afford to break off diplomatic relations with Washington, the US is too big. But China benefits from continuing to stir the pot and that’s what it’s doing,” he said.
CALL FOR SUPPORT: President William Lai called on lawmakers across party lines to ensure the livelihood of Taiwanese and that national security is protected President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called for bipartisan support for Taiwan’s investment in self-defense capabilities at the christening and launch of two coast guard vessels at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard in Kaohsiung. The Taipei (台北) is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels, and the Siraya (西拉雅) is the Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) first-ever ocean patrol vessel, the government said. The Taipei is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels with a displacement of about 4,000 tonnes, Lai said. This ship class was ordered as a result of former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) 2018
‘SECRETS’: While saying China would not attack during his presidency, Donald Trump declined to say how Washington would respond if Beijing were to take military action US President Donald Trump said that China would not take military action against Taiwan while he is president, as the Chinese leaders “know the consequences.” Trump made the statement during an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes program that aired on Sunday, a few days after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in South Korea. “He [Xi] has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘we would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” Trump said in the interview. However, he repeatedly declined to say exactly how Washington would respond in
WARFARE: All sectors of society should recognize, unite, and collectively resist and condemn Beijing’s cross-border suppression, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng said The number of Taiwanese detained because of legal affairs by Chinese authorities has tripled this year, as Beijing intensified its intimidation and division of Taiwanese by combining lawfare and cognitive warfare, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) made the statement in response to questions by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen (沈柏洋) about the government’s response to counter Chinese public opinion warfare, lawfare and psychological warfare. Shen said he is also being investigated by China for promoting “Taiwanese independence.” He was referring to a report published on Tuesday last week by China’s state-run Xinhua news agency,
‘NOT SUBORDINATE’: Only Taiwanese can decide the nation’s future, and people preserving their democratic way of life is not a provocation, President William Lai said Taiwan does not want China’s “one country, two systems,” and must uphold its freedom and democracy as well as resolve to defend itself, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, rejecting Beijing’s latest bid to bring the country under Chinese control. The president made the remarks while attending a commissioning ceremony for Taiwan’s first battalion of M1A2T Abrams tanks in Hsinchu County’s Hukou Township (湖口). The tanks are made by General Dynamics, a major US defense contractor. China this week said it “absolutely will not” rule out using force over Taiwan, striking a much tougher tone than a series of articles in state media
RSS