The Taiwanese government yesterday welcomed news that Washington has moved forward with an arms package for Taiwan, with President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) saying it would help advance cross-strait relations and boost his administration’s confidence in dealing with Beijing.
“These are weapons we have wanted for a long time. Most of them are defensive,” Ma said yesterday. “The weapons will give us more confidence in protecting Taiwan and help us forge ahead with cross-strait ties. The more confidence we have and the safer we feel, the more interactions we will have with mainland China.”
Ma told reporters on the way back to Taipei yesterday from his visit to Latin America that the US government notified Congress of the US$6.4 billion arms sales about nine hours before his plane left Los Angeles. Presidential Office Spokesman Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦) said the news did not come as a surprise because Ma was notified in advance by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which had received word from the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) in Los Angeles.
“We feel gratified,” Wang said. “It shows that Taiwan-US relations are smooth and the mutual trust and interactions are sound.”
It also indicated that the fallout over the US beef controversy was limited to trade, he said, adding that the Ma administration would continue to deal with the US beef matter carefully.
Wang said that AIT Director Raymond Burghardt had said on different occasions during Ma’s stopovers in the US that Taiwan-US relations are “excellent” and in “great shape.”
Speaking about Taiwan-US relations over the past 20 months, Ma said they were headed in the right direction because the cross-strait detente helped improve ties with the US. He said mutual trust is stable because he delivers what he promises and his words are consistent with his actions. The interactions are frequent in various areas including the economy, politics and military affairs, he said.
At a separate setting yesterday, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) Spokesman Henry Chen (陳銘政) said many senior officials in the administration of US President Barack Obama had publicly expressed the view that Washington would follow the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) by selling defensive weapons to Taiwan.
Sources close to the foreign ministry said the notification shows that the current row with the US over bone-in beef imports has had no affect on overall Taiwan-US ties as the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) had warned.
When asked about the ministry’s response to China’s protest pf the US’ decision, Chen refused to make any direct comments. He said the TRA is a US domestic law and the White House was abiding by the law by forwarding the notification to Congress.
The AIT said the US notified both Taiwan and China before the notification was sent forward. However, “we did not consult the PRC [People’s Republic of China] about the sale,” AIT press officer Christopher Kavanagh said.
Kavanagh said he did not have information of when both sides were notified or if they were informed simultaneously.
“The Chinese government has long opposed US arms sale to Taiwan. The US is committed to building a positive, cooperative and comprehensive relationship with China,” he said.
The decision to sell Taiwan defensive arms is based upon the government’s evaluation of Taiwan’s defensive needs, he said, and is consistent with the US “one China” policy based on the Three Joint-Communiques and the TRA.
Furthermore, the arms sale “contributes to maintaining the security and the stability across the Taiwan Strait,” he said.
When asked about US hesitancy to sell F-16C/D fighter jets or submarines, he said: “We continue to evaluate Taiwan’s defense needs.”
Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) said yesterday the government would continue to request F-16C/D fighter aircraft as they could help Taiwan enhance its self defense.
“We hope the US will sell Taiwan the necessary weapons at a reasonable price to ensure the safety of Taiwan and its 23 million people,” Wu said.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Tsai Huang-lang (蔡煌瑯), a member of the legislature’s Foreign and National Defense Committee, said he suspected the US government had skipped the F-16C/D fighter aircraft and submarines because of concerns about Ma’s China-leaning policies.
“I think Americans worry that secrets from their high-tech weapons will be stolen by the Chinese, now that the KMT government is leaning closer to China,” Tsai said.
Additional reporting by Rich Chang,
Shih Hsiu-chuan and Jimmy Chuang
Taiwanese actress Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛) has died of pneumonia at the age of 48 while on a trip to Japan, where she contracted influenza during the Lunar New Year holiday, her sister confirmed today through an agent. "Our whole family came to Japan for a trip, and my dearest and most kindhearted sister Barbie Hsu died of influenza-induced pneumonia and unfortunately left us," Hsu's sister and talk show hostess Dee Hsu (徐熙娣) said. "I was grateful to be her sister in this life and that we got to care for and spend time with each other. I will always be grateful to
REMINDER: Of the 6.78 million doses of flu vaccine Taiwan purchased for this flu season, about 200,000 are still available, an official said, following Big S’ death As news broke of the death of Taiwanese actress and singer Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛), also known as Big S (大S), from severe flu complications, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and doctors yesterday urged people at high risk to get vaccinated and be alert to signs of severe illness. Hsu’s family yesterday confirmed that the actress died on a family holiday in Japan due to pneumonia during the Lunar New Year holiday. CDC Deputy Director-General Tseng Shu-hui (曾淑慧) told an impromptu news conference that hospital visits for flu-like illnesses from Jan. 19 to Jan. 25 reached 162,352 — the highest
COMBINING FORCES: The 66th Marine Brigade would support the 202nd Military Police Command in its defense of Taipei against ‘decapitation strikes,’ a source said The Marine Corps has deployed more than 100 soldiers and officers of the 66th Marine Brigade to Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) as part of an effort to bolster defenses around the capital, a source with knowledge of the matter said yesterday. Two weeks ago, a military source said that the Ministry of National Defense ordered the Marine Corps to increase soldier deployments in the Taipei area. The 66th Marine Brigade has been tasked with protecting key areas in Taipei, with the 202nd Military Police Command also continuing to defend the capital. That came after a 2017 decision by the ministry to station
PETITIONS: A Democratic Progressive Party official quoted President William Lai as saying that civil society groups are organizing the recall drives at the grassroots level Some civil society groups yesterday announced that they have collected enough signatures to pass the first-stage threshold to initiate a recall vote against Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators in 18 constituencies nationwide, saying that they would submit the signatures to the Central Election Commission (CEC) today. They also said that they expected to pass the threshold in eight more constituencies in the coming days, meaning the number of KMT legislators facing a recall vote could reach 26. The groups set up stations to collect signatures at local marketplaces and busy commercial districts. The legislators their petition drives target include Fu