Taiwan is asking the US to explain why bogus electronic parts, many from China, have found their way into its military equipment, a defense official said yesterday, after a US Senate report found the problem to be widespread.
The ministry has asked the US government about the report and how it plans to address the problem, Deputy Minister of National Defense Chao Shih-chang (趙世璋) said at a hearing of the legislature’s Foreign and National Defense Committee.
Responding to questions from Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Huang Wei-cher (黃偉哲), who expressed concern about the situation because the US is Taiwan’s main arms supplier, Chao said the ministry asked the US to tighten quality control measures on military equipment for Taiwan.
“[The ministry] has not received a response from the US,” Chao said.
The findings of Chinese-made counterfeit electronic parts in US-made military equipment raised concerns over the quality and security of weapons systems sold to Taiwan by the US, Huang said.
Meanwhile, Chao said the ministry follows rigorous sourcing policies when making procurements.
“We have a strict policy of not purchasing items and materials made in China,” he said.
On May 21, the US Senate Armed Services Committee published a report on counterfeit electronic parts in the country’s defense supply chain.
The investigation found that the use of bogus parts was a widespread problem, identifying 1,800 cases of counterfeit electronic parts during in 2009 and 2010.
The US committee tracked 100 of the 1,800 cases and traced more than 70 percent of the suspect parts to China.
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