Washington’s latest arms sales proves the US’ commitment to Taiwan’s security but the “China factor” was still a major deterrent for the US in selling Taipei more advanced defensive weapons such as F-16 fighter jets, observers in Taipei said.
On Friday, US President Barack Obama’s administration announced its plan to sell US$6.4 billion in weapons to Taiwan, including 60 Blackhawk helicopters and defensive missiles. Missing from the list were F-16s and feasibility plans for diesel submarines that Taiwan had requested. Asked about the reason for their absence, the US in a statement said it continues to evaluate Taiwan’s defense needs.
A source familiar with Taiwan’s diplomatic corps said the US purposely avoided making a definitive statement because of the possibility of future sales that hinge on the China-US relationship.
As with previous US arms sales to Taiwan, Beijing protested, saying the US had interfered with “domestic affairs” and that such actions harm Sino-US ties.
In 2008, shortly after Washington approved a US$6.5 million arms deal with Taipei, Beijing suspended military talks with the US.
“The US fully anticipated China’s protest and is closely watching to see if Beijing goes beyond the level of protest it displayed in the past,” said Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), political science professor at National Cheng Chi University and a former Taiwanese representative to the US.
Although the notification quelled worries that the US was becoming more China-leaning at the expense of ties with Taiwan, the exclusion of the fighter jets and submarine plans shows that the “China factor” was still important, he said.
“F-16s are a very politically symbolic item. But if the US consistently refuses to sell Taiwan the items, it will put Taiwan at a disadvantage and might cast doubts over the US’ commitment to Taiwan’s security as outlined in the Taiwan Relations Act [TRA] and the Six Assurances,” Wu said.
Lai I-chung (賴怡忠), a researcher at Taiwan Thinktank and a former Democratic Progressive Party official, said the US’ refusal to sell Taiwan some military hardware is a reflection of President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) failed diplomacy and that the “mutual trust” between Taipei and Washington touted by Ma, was one-sided.
“If the Taiwan-US relationship was truly as excellent as Ma claims and Taiwan was no longer viewed as a ‘troublemaker’ by the US, then why does the US continue to place China’s sentiments above Taiwan’s defense needs,” he said.
He said the TRA obliges the US to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself. Washington’s unwillingness to even consider selling Taiwan F-16s is contrary to the spirit of the TRA, he said, adding that if Ma was so confident about the strength of Taiwan-US ties, he should challenge Washington on this point.
Former foreign minister Cheng Chien-jen (程建仁), taking a more upbeat approach, said future sales of F-16s and submarine plans remain possible as Washington has never categorically denied the request and because China’s military threat is real.
“Those items are more politically sensitive than anything else Taiwan requested and this is why the US must handle the issue carefully, but it was not an absolute no. Keep in mind that the original request was pitched in 2002 and most items in the latest announcement were approved by the Bush administration. The reality is that now, the US needs China’s cooperation more than ever,” he said.
The US’s rising dependency on Chinese help on issues such as counter-terrorism, global warming and North Korea, coupled with the cross-strait detente, all contribute to the US reluctance to sell Taiwan certain weapons system, he said.
Tamkang University Graduate Institute of American Studies Professor Alexander Huang (黃介正) said Friday’s announcement was “long overdue” and was not surprised that fighter jets and the submarine design work were off the list.
“To many people in China and some in Washington, F-16s are considered an advanced system, henceforth it more politically complicated and sensitive than other items,” he said.
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