Though the chances of Taiwan being able to buy AEGIS-class destroyers are slim, Washington has given Taiwan an oral agreement to the deal in an attempt to get better leverage in upcoming negotiations with China on the TMD issue, according to a senior defense official.
"It is quite unlikely that Taiwan will get the AEGIS ships anytime soon. Washington is now disclosing seemingly good news to Taiwan only for the sake of exerting pressure on China to give ground on the TMD issue," an official with the Ministry of National Defense told the Taipei Times.
"We are much more likely to get the Kidd-class destroyers. The deal is expected to be approved in this year's arms sales talks between Taiwan and the US. The AEGIS ships are a distant dream for us," the official said.
"Washington's proclaimed arms sales policy toward Taiwan is to maintain the balance of power in the Taiwan Strait. But our understanding is that the US will sell advanced weapons to Taiwan only if Taiwan has the capability to produce equivalent weapons," he said.
"There are many such examples in the past. There is no need to go into details. From this perspective, what the US will or will not sell to us becomes clear," he added.
TMD is a different issue, the official said, the US is very interested in inviting Taiwan to join in the development of the system, or buy the system after its deployment.
"TMD is intended by the US for deployment in the Asia-Pacific region to cover friendly countries like Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.
"But Japan does not show great interest in buying the system. They are only willing to join in the development phase of the project. They are not interested in buying the product," the official said.
"South Korea does not intend to buy the TMD system either. It makes Taiwan the only country in the region which is likely to share the large expense of TMD development," he said.
A retired US military leader, now visiting Taiwan, advised Taiwan not to put blind faith in the effectiveness of the missile shield to be provided by the TMD system, when he delivered a speech on Monday giving the prospects and problems of TMD in the area.
"Taiwan does not need to rush and make a decision on the issue. The TMD is very expensive and it can not provide total defense against ballistic missiles. Taiwan can consider joining in the program as the product becomes more mature.
The costs will become less by that time," said Retired Rear Admiral Eric McVadon in his speech.
Erich Shih (施孝瑋), a military analyst with the Defence Technology Monthly magazine, said in McVadon's view, the TMD is not the only choice for Taiwan. Shih had interviewed McVadon before and the interview was published in his magazine two years ago.
"McVadon does not seem to have changed in his view on the issue. He thinks Taiwan has many ways to build a missile defense. TMD is not the only way," Shih said.
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