The Netherlands, named by the US as a possible supplier of submarines for Taiwan, will continue to refuse permits for the export of military technology and materials to Taiwan, the Dutch ministry said on Wednesday.
"Dutch policy has not changed and that means that we will not endorse the export of military material or technology that is headed for Taiwan," foreign ministry spokesman Bas Brusche said.
US newspapers have cited the Netherlands and Germany as the likely sources of eight diesel-electric submarines which US President George W. Bush has approved for sale to Taiwan as part of a new arms package.
A Pentagon spokesman, questioned on Tuesday, would only say that such submarines existed in Germany, the Netherlands and Italy.
Germany has already made clear it will not produce the submarines for Taiwan and it remains unclear where Bush will find the controversial vessels.
The US neither owns nor builds diesel-electric submarines and has not asked any countries that do so to either license US shipbuilders or sell them directly to Taiwan, according to the Pentagon.
The Dutch authorities said they had not so far been asked to export the submarines.
"If we receive this permit, we will take into consideration the view of the foreign ministry," indicated a spokesman from the economic ministry, which deals with such export requests.
RDM, the Dutch company that makes the Moray class submarines, has refused to comment.
The Netherlands is restricted by a 1984 agreement with China banning the sale of military materiel and technology to Taiwan.
Relations between China and the Netherlands sunk to an all time low in 1981 after the Hague authorized the export of two submarines to Taiwan.
Beijing retorted by threatening to impose sanctions on major Dutch companies operating in China, including oil giant Royal Dutch Shell and airline Martinair, and diplomatic relations between the two countries were reduced to the level of charge d'affaires.
By 1984 the two states had managed to find common ground and issued a joint statement saying the Netherlands had agreed not to sell any more military material to Taiwan. The agreement allowed the two submarines already on order to still be delivered.
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