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China's missile buildup worries US

The US views China's missile buildup across from Taiwan with concern and considers it "a threat to peace and stability," a senior Pentagon official said Friday.

"Taking it one step further, the United States has certain defense obligations as stipulated under the Taiwan Relations Act. And we take that very seriously and so does Congress," Peter Brookes, deputy assistant secretary of state, added.

He did not elaborate when asked how the Pentagon would propose to help Taiwan cope with the growing missile threat from China.

Meeting with reporters at the Pentagon, Brookes said the change in the process of arms sales to Taiwan indicates "a desire to treat Taiwan like other countries" in the area of military transfers.

"We're getting out of the November-April cycle," he said, adding that "we're going to treat them [Taiwan] more like a normal country in that they would make a letter of request to us, and then we would respond to that."

"It [arms sales] will be very straightforward and more normalized," said Brookes, the official responsible for security affairs for the Asia-Pacific region.

US President George W. Bush announced the new formula last April, effectively abolishing the unique process followed by Taipei and the US over the last 20 years.

Under the old system, the government in Taiwan would present its arms requests each autumn and then learn about the US' decision the next spring.

In recent years, the administration's inter-agency debate over what items to approve for sale has become the focus of growing media attention as well as the target of threats from Beijing.

On another possible change in the conduct of US relations with Taiwan, Brookes appeared to leave the door open to visits by senior US officials to Taiwan.

When asked whether he might visit Taiwan in his current capacity, he said that the policy in the past would prevent him from making such a visit.

"I have no plans to visit Taiwan at this point," he said, although he added that "I think that's something that we have to consider."

Saying he does not know whether the Bush administration plans to change the policy, Brookes pointed out that there is no legislation banning such visits. His remarks echoed those of another senior Pentagon official who recently described the restriction as "self-imposed."

A graduate of the US Naval Academy, Brookes has more than 1,300 flight hours in Navy EP-3 reconnaissance aircraft.
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