The US will approve the sale of 12 P-3C Orion anti-submarine aircraft before year’s end, a newspaper reported yesterday, quoting a military official.
The Chinese-language Apple Daily quoted Navy Admiral Wang Li-shen (王立申) as saying that the US would approve the sale of 12 P-3Cs before the year’s end, and the P-3Cs would join the navy in 2012.
US naval personnel recently inspected facilities at an airbase in Taoyuan to see if it was capable of receiving the P-3Cs, the daily quoted Wang as saying.
Wang said that as the budget for the 12 P-3Cs was large, the navy was not buying Harpoon missiles, which are carried by the aircraft, but would share the 60 Harpoon missiles the US agreed to sell to the Air Force early this week.
The Apple Daily said Washington’s upcoming sale of the 12 P-3Cs indicated the US has ended the freeze on arms sales to Taipei.
The US — Taiwan’s sole supplier of advanced weaponry — is believed to have imposed the freeze on arms sales last year, although the policy has never been confirmed by administration officials.
Analysts have said the move was an attempt to gain favor with China ahead of US President George W. Bush’s trip to the Games.
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday thanked Palau for its continued support of Taiwan's international participation, as Taipei was once again excluded from the World Health Assembly (WHA) currently taking place in Switzerland. "Palau has never stopped voicing support for Taiwan" in the UN General Assembly, the WHO and other UN-affiliated agencies, Lai said during a bilateral meeting with visiting Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. "We have been profoundly touched by these endorsements," Lai said, praising the Pacific island nation's firm support as "courageous." Lai's remarks came as Taiwan was excluded for the ninth consecutive year from the WHA, which is being held in
At least three people died and more than a dozen were injured yesterday afternoon when a vehicle struck a group of pedestrians in New Taipei City’s Sansia District (三峽). The incident happened at about 4pm when a car rammed into pedestrians at an intersection near Bei Da Elementary School. Witnesses said the sedan, being driven at a high speed, ran a red light, knocking scooters out of the way and hitting students crossing the road before careening into a median near the intersection of Guocheng and Guoguang streets. The incident resulted in three deaths and 13 injuries, including the driver, a 78-year-old man
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