Bush ignores Chinese objections to boost Taiwan’s military
President George W Bush today ignored objections from Beijing and offered breakaway island Taiwan a wide arsenal of military equipment, including submarines, to combat a Chinese invasion threat.
But the president guaranteed muted objections from China’s leaders by deferring sales of the item Taiwan wants most: high-tech destroyers equipped with the Aegis combat radar system.
The sale of such equipment to Taiwan, which China considers a rebellious province, could worsen US-China relations already strained by the collision between a spy plane and a Chinese jet earlier this month.
The White House took pains to assuage Beijing’s concerns about the arms package, but also made clear that future sales to Taiwan of the state-of-the-art Aegis system still were possible given China’s recent arms build-up.
’’We think there is nothing in this package for China to fear,’’ said a senior White House official. He added that China could decrease the chances of Taiwan getting the Aegis system if Beijing becomes less aggressive militarily.
In Beijing, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman denounced the proposed US weapons sale to Taiwan.
’’Washington must exercise prudence on the question of arms sales to Taiwan so as not to create new harm for relations,’’ said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue .
The arms sales will ‘‘seriously undermine China’s sovereignty, interfere in China’s internal affairs and will give rise to tension across the Taiwan Straits,’’ she said.
Bush disagreed.
’’The president believes this is the wise and proper course to take, representing Taiwan’s legitimate defence needs,’’ said White House spokesman Ari Fleischer.
China’s relatively restrained response was a possible reflection of relief that Washington deferred Taiwan’s request to buy US destroyers equipped with the high-tech Aegis radar.
Bush approved the sale of four Kidd-class destroyers, which have a much less potent ship-borne radar system than the Aegis, up to eight diesel submarines, 12 anti-submarine aircraft, various helicopters, assault vehicles and other arms, the senior White House official said.
Taiwan won’t be able to buy some things it wanted, including satellite-guided bombs and high-speed Anti-Radar Missiles, which are fired from aircraft.
Along with the Aegis, the administration deferred sales of Apache helicopters and tanks requested by Taiwan.
Taiwan had no official comment on the proposed arms sale, but MPs and analysts applauded Washington for granting many items on the island’s weapons wish list.
’’I think this decision shows the Bush administration took Taiwan’s defence needs seriously,’’ said Parris Chang, a senior MP with the ruling Democratic Progressive Party.
The Kidd-class system could be available by 2003, providing more immediate defence than the Aegis system, which would take until 2010 to build. The White House said Taiwan’s military is not currently equipped to handle the Aegis system, but noted it would still be available in 2010 if Bush decided at a later point to offer it.
The arms package was designed to bolster the island’s defences against mounting Chinese threats from the air, including 300 missiles aimed at Taiwan.
