US government officials are urging Taiwan to reform its national defense, sources in the US said.
Peter Brookes, deputy assistant secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific affairs, and Stephen Yates, assistant to US Vice President Dick Cheney, stressed the need for reform in a recent meeting with former DPP lawmaker Michael Tsai (
They asked Tsai to pass the message on to President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).
The administration of US President George W. Bush is concerned about the imminent reshuffle in Taiwan's military and whether the Ministry of National Defense will be led by a civilian, as two recently passed defense-reform laws stipulate, the sources said.
Bush-administration officials have expressed a willingness to boost Taiwan's military capabilities and enhance bilateral military exchanges. But the US also expects Taiwan to reform its military structure as soon as possible.
According to sources, Tsai, who lost his bid to become Taichung City mayor on Dec. 1, visited Washington on Dec. 18. The US believes Tsai, who has long paid close attention to national defense, might be appointed to the Cabinet to help Chen deal with military issues.
As well as visiting Brookes and Yates, who are both familiar with Taiwan's affairs, Tsai called on Michael Pillsbury, a defense expert with the Net Assessment Office, and Kurt Campbell, senior vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
High-ranking US officials and defense experts regard the success or failure of Taiwan's defense reforms as key to US-Taiwan military exchanges, sources said.
The experts are apparently also concerned about factional conflicts in Taiwan's military.
Sources said Tsai kept a low profile on his trip and afterward visited former premier and defense minister Tang Fei (唐飛) for advice on defense reforms.
Peter Rodman, the assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, also stressed the need for effective reform of the military in a recent meeting with Chen Chien-jen (程建人), Taiwan's de facto ambassador to Washington, according to the sources.
The US officials said the Bush administration wants to help Tai-wan boost its self-defense capabilities, but that cannot be done without satisfactory military exchanges between the two countries.
Translated by Jackie Lin
NO HUMAN ERROR: After the incident, the Coast Guard Administration said it would obtain uncrewed aerial vehicles and vessels to boost its detection capacity Authorities would improve border control to prevent unlawful entry into Taiwan’s waters and safeguard national security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after a Chinese man reached the nation’s coast on an inflatable boat, saying he “defected to freedom.” The man was found on a rubber boat when he was about to set foot on Taiwan at the estuary of Houkeng River (後坑溪) near Taiping Borough (太平) in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), authorities said. The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) northern branch said it received a report at 6:30am yesterday morning from the New Taipei City Fire Department about a
IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing. BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X. The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said
REGIONAL STABILITY: Taipei thanked the Biden administration for authorizing its 16th sale of military goods and services to uphold Taiwan’s defense and safety The US Department of State has approved the sale of US$228 million of military goods and services to Taiwan, the US Department of Defense said on Monday. The state department “made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale” to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US for “return, repair and reshipment of spare parts and related equipment,” the defense department’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a news release. Taiwan had requested the purchase of items and services which include the “return, repair and reshipment of classified and unclassified spare parts for aircraft and related equipment; US Government
More than 500 people on Saturday marched in New York in support of Taiwan’s entry to the UN, significantly more people than previous years. The march, coinciding with the ongoing 79th session of the UN General Assembly, comes close on the heels of growing international discourse regarding the meaning of UN Resolution 2758. Resolution 2758, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971, recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative of China.” It resulted in the Republic of China (ROC) losing its seat at the UN to the PRC. Taiwan has since been excluded from