A comment by US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta earlier this week about arms sales to Taiwan has raised concern on Capitol Hill.
At a news conference in Indonesia on Sunday, Panetta praised China for what he described as a “mild” response to the latest offer by the administration of US President Barack Obama to upgrade Taipei’s existing F-16A/B aircraft.
“I think we’d given the Chinese a heads-up as to what was going to take place, and in the end I think they handled it in a professional and diplomatic way and we appreciate that,” he said.
At least one Democratic member of the US Congress is now considering a letter to Panetta asking just what kind of a “heads-up” China was given.
Supporters of Taiwan in the US are worried that the Obama administration may have broken existing agreements and consulted Beijing before deciding not to sell the more modern F-16C/Ds to Taiwan.
A number of senior administration officials — including US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell — have strongly denied that China was consulted.
In 1982, then-US president Ronald Reagan gave Taipei “Six Assurances” regarding US policy toward Taiwan.
One of these “assurances” was that the US would not consult China before making decisions about US arms sales to Taiwan.
An expert on the US-Taiwan relationship said that “technically” the statement by Panetta was not a violation of the Six Assurances because he only indicated that Washington had informed Beijing of its decision to sell arms, not that there had been consultation before the sale.
However, another expert warned: “Many of us worry there is some secret consultation with Beijing over arms sales to Taiwan.”
“Panetta’s remark about a ‘heads-up’ is the closest they may have come to admitting it,” the expert said.
As a direct result of the remark, the lawmaker now considering a letter to Panetta could list the Six Assurances in the communication.
If he goes ahead, other members of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus would ask to cosign the letter.
An e-mail containing a news agency report of Panetta’s remarks in Indonesia — with the “heads-up” statement clearly highlighted — has been widely circulated on Capitol Hill.
Coen Blaauw, an official with the Formosan Association for Public Affairs, told the Taipei Times: “It would be prudent right now to remind the Obama administration of the content and reach of the Six Assurances.”
“We don’t want the territory covered to become a gray area. There is concern that some talks with the Chinese may contain elements of consultation,” he said.
“Panetta’s statement has made people uneasy and this would be a good time to underscore the pertinence of the Six Assurances,” he said.
The concern over Panetta’s statement comes as the Obama administration’s plan to upgrade the F-16A/Bs has cleared its 30-day congressional review without objection.
A formal letter of acceptance still needs to be negotiated and signed.
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