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Chen asks TSU for support to buy weapons

President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) hosted a luncheon yesterday in honor of senior executives and legislators from the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU).

The TSU, which advocates a separate Taiwan identity, controls 12 seats in the Legislative Yuan. It is usually seen as an ally of Chen's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in the Legislative Yuan.

During the luncheon, Chen first thanked the TSU executives and lawmakers for their support for his re-election bid. He then asked the TSU legislative caucus to support the Cabinet-proposed NT$610.8 billion (US$18.2 billion) budget bill for procurement of advanced weapons from the US amid mounting Chinese military threats.

The special budget bill is now pending approval by the opposition pan-blue alliance-controlled Legislative Yuan.

TSU legislators quoted Chen as having said during the luncheon that three years have passed since the Bush administration agreed to sell those weapons to Taiwan. As the US will hold a presidential election in November, Chen said if US President George W. Bush fails to win re-election, the US arms sale plans may become uncertain. Against this backdrop, Chen said, he hopes the legislature can pass the budget bill as early as possible so that the Ministry of National Defense can strike deals with the US.

Chen told the lawmakers that there is room for price negotiations for the eight submarines if Taiwan doesn't insist on US technology transfer for Taiwan's state-owned China Shipbuilding Corp (CSBC) to take part in construction of the submarines.

According to Chen, the insistence on CSBC to participate in submarine construction will increase costs by NT$80 billion. Chen further said Taiwan took the initiative to purchase the submarines in the face of China's mounting military threat. The US has never pressured Taiwan to buy submarines, Chen was quoted as saying.

Chen also assured the lawmakers that the 15-year arms procurement plan would not cause the government financial difficulties.

Planned trip

A group of lawmakers will visit the US next week to discuss an US$18 billion arms deal amid heated debate over whether the nation can afford, or even needs, advanced US weapons to counter a threat from China.

The Ministry of Defense wants the legislature to grant it a special budget of NT$610 billion in what would be the biggest arms sale to Taiwan in a decade.

The ministry says the weapons are essential to warding off a growing threat of war from China, but opposition parties complain that the price tag is too high.

The delegation will be led by Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), and will visit the US Pacific Command in Hawaii, the Pentagon and other military facilities in the US from next Thursday to June 28, officials said yesterday.

"It is part of US lobbying efforts to showcase the superiority of their weapons and highlight their importance to Taiwan's security," said Lee Wen-chung (李文忠), a lawmaker from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on the delegation.

Lee said he shared opposition concerns about the cost of the weapons and would seek some clarification from the US.
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