The US might allow its military contractors to upgrade Taiwan’s F-16A/B aircraft later this year or next year, a report in the latest issue of Defense News said.
Citing analysts and pro-Taiwan lobbyists, the report said the administration of US President Barack Obama was expected to approve the F-16A/B upgrade package as part of a strategy to reduce pressure from the US Congress to sell Taiwan more advanced F-16C/Ds.
The upgrade would bring Taiwan’s F-16s to a standard broadly comparable to the F-16AM/BM flown by air forces in Europe, which began life as F-16A/Bs, the report said.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
For a decade, Taipei has been requesting F-16C/Ds from the US to upgrade its aging air force.
It remained unclear whether upgrading the F16A/Bs would impact Taipei’s chances of eventually acquiring the 66 F-16C/Ds it has requested, since Beijing has been clear that it would consider an F-16C/D deal a “red line” that the US should not cross.
In a rare demonstration of bipartisanship, the co-chairs of the US Senate Taiwan Caucus, US Senator Robert Menendez and US Senator James Inhofe late last month published a letter signed by more than 40 of their colleagues urging the Obama administration to approve Taipei’s request to purchase the F-16C/Ds.
Defense News also carried an editorial in its latest issue which said that Washington should sell Taiwan F-16C/Ds to show the US’ resolve to honor its commitment to its allies.
“A critical question America regularly faces from its allies is whether Washington will support them if they are threatened. And when the United States fails to support its allies, the world takes note,” the magazine said.
By furiously opposing the F-16-C/D deal, the editorial said: “China not only wants to weaken Taiwan, but also prompt Washington’s allies in Asia to question whether America will be there for them in times of crisis.”
Moreover, the editorial said if the White House decided to block the sale, an emboldened Beijing might decide tomorrow that it does not want the US selling its wares to other regional allies — Japan, Australia, South Korea and others.
Selling the fighters to Taiwan would be a way to reassure Asia-Pacific governments who have questioned the US’ commitment to the region and remind Beijing that old alliances would not be traded away to appease a bigger trading partner, the magazine added.
NO-LIMITS PARTNERSHIP: ‘The bottom line’ is that if the US were to have a conflict with China or Russia it would likely open up a second front with the other, a US senator said Beijing and Moscow could cooperate in a conflict over Taiwan, the top US intelligence chief told the US Senate this week. “We see China and Russia, for the first time, exercising together in relation to Taiwan and recognizing that this is a place where China definitely wants Russia to be working with them, and we see no reason why they wouldn’t,” US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told a US Senate Committee on Armed Services hearing on Thursday. US Senator Mike Rounds asked Haines about such a potential scenario. He also asked US Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lieutenant General Jeffrey Kruse
INSPIRING: Taiwan has been a model in the Asia-Pacific region with its democratic transition, free and fair elections and open society, the vice president-elect said Taiwan can play a leadership role in the Asia-Pacific region, vice president-elect Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) told a forum in Taipei yesterday, highlighting the nation’s resilience in the face of geopolitical challenges. “Not only can Taiwan help, but Taiwan can lead ... not only can Taiwan play a leadership role, but Taiwan’s leadership is important to the world,” Hsiao told the annual forum hosted by the Center for Asia-Pacific Resilience and Innovation think tank. Hsiao thanked Taiwan’s international friends for their long-term support, citing the example of US President Joe Biden last month signing into law a bill to provide aid to Taiwan,
China’s intrusive and territorial claims in the Indo-Pacific region are “illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive,” new US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo said on Friday, adding that he would continue working with allies and partners to keep the area free and open. Paparo made the remarks at a change-of-command ceremony at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii, where he took over the command from Admiral John Aquilino. “Our world faces a complex problem set in the troubling actions of the People’s Republic of China [PRC] and its rapid buildup of forces. We must be ready to answer the PRC’s increasingly intrusive and
STATE OF THE NATION: The legislature should invite the president to deliver an address every year, the TPP said, adding that Lai should also have to answer legislators’ questions The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday proposed inviting president-elect William Lai (賴清德) to make a historic first state of the nation address at the legislature following his inauguration on May 20. Lai is expected to face many domestic and international challenges, and should clarify his intended policies with the public’s representatives, KMT caucus secretary-general Hung Meng-kai (洪孟楷) said when making the proposal at a meeting of the legislature’s Procedure Committee. The committee voted to add the item to the agenda for Friday, along with another similar proposal put forward by the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP). The invitation is in line with Article 15-2