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China warns on arms sale

Beijing has warned Washington not to proceed with a reported deal to sell fighter jets to Taiwan, indicating it would impact on regional security and harm Sino-US relations, China's state media said on Friday.

"The Chinese side has taken note of the report and lodged serious representations to the United States," China's foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao (劉建超) was quoted as saying by China's official Xinhua news agency.

Taiwan's Chinese-language China Times reported on Monday that a Taiwanese delegation had proposed the procurement of 66 advanced fighter planes during an annual military meeting with Washington early this month.

If the report is confirmed, it would be the biggest arms deal Washington has offered Taiwan since 2001, when US President George W. Bush agreed to provide the nation with eight diesel-powered submarines, 12 P-3C submarine-hunting aircraft and an improved version of Patriot missiles, the paper said.

Taiwan's defense ministry has so far declined comment on the report.

The new fleet of F-16C/D fighters is aimed at reinforcing the air force's combat capability before it can acquire so-called "third generation" fighters from the US, the paper said.

The US in 1992 agreed to sell Taiwan 150 less sophisticated F-16A/Bs, but refused to provide F-16C/Ds, which have a longer range and powerful ground attack capability.

In addition to 146 F-16A/B fighters, the air force has 128 locally produced Indigenous Defense Fighters and 56 French-made Mirage 2000-5s, along with 60 or so aging F-5 Tigers.
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