MOFA blasts Beijing missile offer

"It's absurd and unfair for China to offer to scale down missile deployment targeting Taiwan in exchange for reduced US arms sales."

Eugene Chien, minister of foreign affars

Minister of Foreign Affairs Eugene Chien (簡又新) yesterday criticized Chinese President Jiang Zemin's (江澤民) offer to scale down missile deployment aimed at Taiwan in exchange for reduced US arms sales to Taiwan as "unreasonable and unfair."

"The two issues are irrelevant ... It's absurd and unfair for China to offer to scale down missile deployment targeting Taiwan in exchange for reduced US arms sales," Chien said.

Chien made the remark yesterday afternoon in response to a related gesture Jiang made to his US counterpart George W. Bush during their meeting in Texas late last month -- as confirmed by Taiwan de facto ambassador to the US Chen Chien-jen (程建人).

Chen, who returned to Taiwan for diplomatic consultations, confirmed in the Legislative Yuan on Thursday that Jiang has come up with the initiatives of dropping ballistic missile deployment aimed at Taiwan in exchange for frozen US arms sales to Taipei.

"This issue was mentioned, but was merely touched on briefly with no continued exchanges," Chen said.

The diplomat also admitted that some US officials in private have told him that neither the US nor Taiwan would be so naive as to buy Jiang's proposal.

But it remains unclear what exactly Jiang said on the subject during his meeting with Bush lat month.

Chien also admitted that the confirmation of Jiang's gesture was not directly quoted by any Chinese officials, while urging the Chinese foreign ministry to clarify the exact exchanges during the Bush-Jiang meeting in Texas.

An estimated 400 missiles aimed at Taiwan are deployed along China's southeastern coast.

Chien said the missiles are offensive weapons, whereas items the US could sell to Taiwan have defensive capabilities to guard against Beijing's continued threat of force.

"These missiles constitute only part of China's military threat against Taiwan, not to mention all sorts of brand new MiG fighters Beijing has purchased from Russia as well as other items such as submarines," Chien said.

"If China is really serious about peace in the region, why doesn't it denounce the use of force against Taiwan instead of resorting to candid talks to help ensure peace in East Asia?" Chien said.

President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) has said China's deployment of the missiles aimed at Taiwan poses an enormous threat to regional peace and prosperity, and has urged Beijing to dismantle the missiles.

US arms sales to Taiwan must comply with the Taiwan Relations Act, which was enacted by the US Congress after Washington switched diplomatic recognition to Beijing in 1979.