Wrapping up a three-day visit yesterday, former US secretary of defense William Cohen denied he was in Taipei to serve as a "lobbyist" vis-a-vis Taiwan's purchase of submarines.
"My only position is that I applaud Taiwan's president's statement that he favors open, clear and fair bidding for all items. My only request is that American companies be treated fairly in an open and transparent competition," Cohen said during a press conference at CKS International Airport yesterday.
When asked to confirm reports that he was in Taipei representing the interests of General Dynamics, Cohen said he was not a "lobbyist."
"I am here speaking on behalf of American companies who only ask that they be treated fairly in any kind of open competition ... I am not a lobbyist. I do not lobby," said Cohen, who is chairman and chief executive officer of The Cohen Group.
Cohen met with Minister of National Defense Wu Shih-wen (
Cohen also denied reports that he visited the Tsoying military port on Wednesday in the company of Navy Commander-in-Chief Lee Jye (李傑).
"That trip was faked by someone's imagination. I did not travel to any base while I was here," he said.
In April, the US approved the sale of eight diesel submarines, as well as four Kidd-class destroyers and 12 P-3C submarine-hunting aircraft, in its biggest arms sales to Taiwan since 1992.
The US has stopped building non-nuclear submarines so the diesel submarines will have to be contracted out to another country. So far, no European country has stated publicly that it is willing to get involved in arms sales to Taiwan.
When asked to comment on the US-led attack on Afghanistan, Cohen said he didn't think the war on terrorism would deteriorate into a conflict like the Vietnam War.
"The US has learned many lessons from its past involvement. The key individuals involved in the administration that support the president, including [Secretary of State] Powell and many others, certainly have learned a number of lessons from the Vietnam experience. I don't expect to see a long or large commitment of American troops for a longer duration in Afghanistan," Cohen said.
When asked if he would have handled the current crisis faced by the US in a different manner if he was still at the Pentagon, Cohen said the Bush administration has his support.
"I am supporting the Bush administration's handling of this matter ... I think we are exactly on the same phase in terms of the need for the US to take the offense. No country can afford to be playing defense 100 percent of the time, simply waiting for the next attack to come and try to defend against it," Cohen said.
The former US secretary of defense under the Clinton administration also denounced speculation that the US would sacrifice Taiwan's interests while seeking China's support in its fight against terrorism.
"The US does not play a zero-sum game in its relationships between China and Taiwan. We welcome China's expression of support. We certainly welcome Taiwan's expression of support," he said.
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