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Obama welcomes arms package

US Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Wednesday said he welcomed the US decision to sell Taiwan nearly US$6.5 billion in weapons systems, calling the action “an important response to Taiwan’s defense needs.”

In a statement issued one day after Obama’s Republican rival, John McCain, expressed similar sentiments, Obama described the sale as “fully consistent with US obligations under the Taiwan Relations Act.”

“The sale helps to contribute to Taiwan’s defense and the maintenance of a healthy balance in the Taiwan Strait,” he said.

Obama also expressed unhappiness with China’s decision to suspend some US-China joint military activities in protest against the arms sales.

He “regrets that China has responded by suspending military-to-military exchanges with the US and non-proliferation talks,” his national security spokeswoman Wendy Morigi said.

Obama praised both sides for reducing tension in the Strait.

“Senator Obama strongly supports the reduction of tensions between China and Taiwan, and commends China’s President Hu Jintao [胡錦濤] and Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou [馬英九] for their efforts in that regard. A strengthening of Taiwan’s defenses will not undermine the process of reduction of tensions and can actually promote it,” the statement said.

One item conspicuously absent from Obama’s statement was any mention of an endorsement of the sale to Taiwan of the items excluded from the list of approved arms announced last Friday — ­diesel-­electric submarines, Black Hawk helicopters and advanced F-16C/D fighter aircraft.

McCain, in his statement of support for the arms sales, pointed to the submarines and the F-16s as items that should have been included, which he said would produce “tens of thousands” of US jobs if the sales went through.

In related news, the commander of the US forces in the Pacific said yesterday that China has cut several military-to-military exchanges following Washington’s approval of the arms package.

China’s chief diplomat in Washington has called the arms sale a “gross violation” of US commitments to Beijing.

Admiral Timothy Keating, speaking to reporters in Tokyo, said China canceled several exchanges, including a humanitarian disaster relief exchange and a visit by a senior Chinese defense official to Washington and Hawaii.

He did not elaborate further on what was canceled.

He said he hoped full exchanges would be resumed “as soon as possible.”

“We regret their so doing. We hope they will reconsider soon,” he said. “I’m sorry it happened. It’s regrettable.”

Keating said that relations between the two nations’ militaries remained close, however.

“There is a fairly healthy and robust exchange program at all levels,” Keating said, adding that although concerns persist over the growth and modernization of China’s forces, “no one wants to have a confrontation with China.”

“We watch China very carefully and we are as open as possible with them,” he said. “We encourage them to do the same.”
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