What's new

China Suspends U.S. Military Ties on Taiwan Arms Sale

Lankan Ranger

ELITE MEMBER
Joined
Aug 9, 2009
Messages
12,550
Reaction score
0
China Suspends U.S. Military Ties on Taiwan Arms Sale

Jan. 30 -- China halted planned military exchanges with the U.S. and said it will punish companies involved in a Pentagon plan to sell weapons worth $6.4 billion to Taiwan.

Vice-Foreign Minister He Yafei said he had lodged a protest with Jon Huntsman, the U.S. ambassador to Beijing, over the U.S. Defense Department proposal to sell missiles, helicopters and ships to Taiwan.

The plan “constitutes a gross intervention into China’s internal affairs, seriously endangers China’s national security and harms China’s peaceful reunification efforts,” a statement on the Foreign Ministry’s Web site quoted He as saying. The suspension of military ties would affect planned visits between the People’s Liberation Army and U.S. forces, Xinhua News said.

China’s foreign ministry pledged to act against U.S. companies involved in the planned deal, according to a later Xinhua report. The proposed arms sale includes advanced Lockheed Martin Corp. Patriot missiles for $2.8 billion, United Technologies Corp. UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters worth $3.1 billion, and Boeing Co. Harpoon missiles costing $37 million.

The U.S. supplies armaments to the island nation under the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, irritating China so much that it cut off military talks after the last sale was announced in October 2008.

Lockheed F-16s

The new proposal doesn’t grant a long-standing request from Taiwan to buy additional Lockheed F-16 fighters.

The Pentagon notified Congress yesterday of the proposal, and lawmakers have 30 days to object to it. Massachusetts Democrat John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called the proposed sale “prudent” and said he doesn’t expect any objection from Congress.

President Barack Obama’s administration has sought China’s cooperation on issues such as Iran, North Korea and climate change, and defense talks resumed in July.

China’s He warned the sale plan “will definitely undermine China-U.S. relations and cause serious negative impact on exchanges and cooperation in major areas between the two countries,” according to the ministry statement.

The U.S. claim that the sales will boost Taiwan’s confidence and won’t affect the relationships across the Taiwan Strait is “groundless,” spokesman of the Beijing-based Taiwan Affairs Office said, according to the China News Agency.

Wrong Signal

“The plan will send a wrong signal to the Taiwan side and will fuel rampant sentiment of the island’s ‘independence’ forces. It will also become barricades in the relationships between China and Taiwan,” the association’s spokesman said.

The sale would violate three communiqués that outline understandings between the two nations, Wang Baodong, a spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said in a telephone interview. “I believe my government will once again request the U.S. side to correct this wrong action to avoid damaging bilateral relations and cooperation between the two sides.”

The State Department called in a Chinese Embassy official yesterday to notify him of the planned announcement, U.S. administration officials said.

China’s opposition isn’t surprising, the officials told reporters on condition of anonymity. Still, the sale probably won’t have a significant effect on the broader relationship because of the range of interests the U.S. and China share, they said.

Taiwan’s Defense Needs

“We regret the Chinese government’s response to curtail military-to-military and other security-related exchanges and any action against U.S. firms transferring defensive articles to Taiwan,” State Department spokesman Philip J. Crowley said in an e-mail today. “We believe our policy reinforces stability in the region.”

State Department spokeswoman Laura Tischler disputed Chinese claims that the sales violated the three communiqués.

A Defense Department duty officer didn’t immediately return a phone call and an e-mail requesting comment.

China considers Taiwan a province that should be reunited with the mainland by force if necessary. The U.S. pledge to help Taiwan bolster its defenses aims to balance the long-held American opposition to full independence from China. U.S. officials have long encouraged the two sides to negotiate a resolution.

“The Taiwan issue is related to China’s sovereignty and territory,” an official at the Foreign Affairs Commission of China’s National People’s Congress said today, the China News Agency reported. “It involves the core interests of China and is also the most significant and sensitive topic in the China- U.S. relations.”

Military Modernization

U.S. officials have expressed concern repeatedly in recent years that China hasn’t been clear about its intentions in undertaking a massive military modernization.

China appears to be developing systems aimed at countering U.S. influence in the region with their potential to target bases, ships and planes, according to officials and a Defense Department report last March.

The report said China “is capable of increasingly sophisticated military action against Taiwan.” The mainland had increased its force of mobile short-range missiles based in garrisons opposite Taiwan to as many as 1,150 in September 2008, from as many as 790 in late 2005, according to the report.

Administration Defends Sale

The administration officials who briefed reporters yesterday defended the planned sale, saying it meets Taiwan’s urgent needs in the face of China’s military modernization while giving the island’s leaders the confidence to proceed with dialogue aimed at improving ties with the mainland.

The sale also demonstrates that the administration will stand by U.S. commitments, the officials said.

The sales package proposed to Taiwan includes 60 sets of communications terminals that would allow Taiwanese pilots, sailors and ground troops to exchange instant messages and images of potential Chinese threats.

The terminals are valued at $340 million and will be provided by a company selected in a competition, the Pentagon said.

U.S. defense officials for years have said Taiwan needs to improve its integration of land, air and sea forces with new technology.

The Pentagon also proposes transferring two U.S. Osprey- class mine hunting vessels and sonar equipment to Taiwan. Upgrade work valued at $105 million will be provided by a U.S. company selected in a competition. The vessels will be provided by a U.S. company selected in a competition, the Pentagon said.

Government to Government

”Such sales are government to government,” Daniel Beck, a spokesman for Chicago-based Boeing said in an e-mail referring a query to U.S. officials. Jeffrey Adams, a spokesman for Bethesda, Maryland-based Lockheed also declined to provide a company response. Hartford, Connecticut’s United Technologies spokesmen didn’t immediately respond to e-mailed questions.

The sale proposal follows one in October 2008 for $6.46 billion in weapons, including Patriot anti-missile systems made by Lockheed, and Apache helicopters supplied by Chicago-based Boeing.

Then-President George W. Bush approved a range of weapons sales to Taiwan in April 2001, saying the U.S. would do “whatever it took to help Taiwan defend” itself against a Chinese attack.

Taiwan received $18.3 billion in U.S. weapons under the Foreign Military Sales program from 1950 to 2006, according to data on the Web site of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency. Under the foreign military sales program, the Pentagon acts as an agent between defense contractors and foreign buyers.

Once Congress allows the sales to proceed, the proposals become firm orders only after Taiwan signs contracts with the Pentagon or the companies.

China Suspends U.S. Military Ties on Taiwan Arms Sale (Update4) - BusinessWeek
 
Shame on CCP:tdown:, they just know Suspends U.S. Military Ties.!
China need more upgrade action.
 
Could this be more a indirect response to the google debacle rather than truely about arms sale?

regards,
 
The only reason the peoples republic of china is annoyed is because they want to invade the republic of china and it will be harder for them to do so.
 
Could this be more a indirect response to the google debacle rather than truely about arms sale?

regards,

IMHO, China is dead serious about this sale. It sends a bad signal (nah, not to Taiwan independence element, rather China's new found "image"). Given US has been suspicious, China has no will to pursue dominant share of the world much due to a long history of "cultural" burdens. However China does seem to pursue and equal partnership with US. Google's issue is thorny, censorship of internet conforms to domestic interest; on the other hand, China can't afford to be isolated (great walls failed us 3 times, we have no intention to withdraw and plant nuclear mines all around china). If we look at the world today, Japan will be always be wary about us (for what they have done to us) for at least a very long time; Germans policy lies in hiding behind the "west" front and hiding in the EU, Russians we know too well, they are too jumpy (shock theorapy, tell me about it). French man always dances to the balance of US/China, Muslim world is still weak, except the sometimes much bitterness between US/CHina, we actually feel more conformtable to work with Americans (1972-2010).

By pulling this stunt, I personally have no idea what US wants in return, mostly likely Japan, to lesser extent their EU policies (I guess no internal "harmony" in Washington with regard to EU).

This gesture is very strange. South Asia situation seems settled, maybe Americans want China to say/do something clearer about this strategic "design" of the US/China relations. Or maybe Obama administration needs the "help" from external pressure to maintain the order of the house and pursue "other" agenda. What Obama's "true" agenda is, a gypsy told me it will become clearer after June.

Oh boy, what I am talking about. :cheesy:
 
Stop using wiki, Do you really know what is wiki? and about if Taiwan is a independent asian you can ask your PM or search UN coutry list. I can also say Sydeny is apart of N.Korea on wiki.:chilli:

Brother, you always need to remind yourself whats "A3 logic"=no

logic, baseless, brainless, shameless.:cheers::china:
 
Brother, you always need to remind yourself whats "A3 logic"=no

logic, baseless, brainless, shameless.:cheers::china:

Do you know what A3 is? A3 is not the most Indians we know today. They are brought in by British noticeable to Shanghai, and they belong to a minority group in India, called Sihks. :cheers:
 
Do you know what A3 is? A3 is not the most Indians we know today. They are brought in by British noticeable to Shanghai, and they belong to a minority group in India, called Sihks. :cheers:

Brother, i am from HK, if you know whats i mean.:china:
 
Stop using wiki, Do you really know what is wiki? and about if Taiwan is a independent asian you can ask your PM or search UN coutry list. I can also say Sydeny is apart of N.Korea on wiki.:chilli:

You couldn't say that on wikipedia, you would most likely be banned for adding false information and it's fairely obvious it's not.

Taiwan is an independent state, under the name "republic of china" There is no denying that. It's fact. Numerous countries recognize it as an independent state. It has it's own constitution etc. The republic of china was once the government of mainland china but moved it's government to Taiwan once the communists took over. So the republic of china is still a country.
 
You couldn't say that on wikipedia, you would most likely be banned for adding false information and it's fairely obvious it's not.

Taiwan is an independent state, under the name "republic of china" There is no denying that. It's fact. Numerous countries recognize it as an independent state. It has it's own constitution etc. The republic of china was once the government of mainland china but moved it's government to Taiwan once the communists took over. So the republic of china is still a country.

Then why does your government deny this "FACT"? Ask them, do they officially recognize ROC.

Do you know the so-called ROC's territory includes the whole China. It is written in ROC's constitution. If PRC or the international society recognize ROC, then PRC has to be part of ROC. So it is not as simple as "an independent state". ROC is not an angel, it had many plans to attack mainland China for unification until 1970s or 1980s. It still will have such plan whenever mainland China is weak, which is very impossible in a very long time.
 
Last edited:
You couldn't say that on wikipedia, you would most likely be banned for adding false information and it's fairely obvious it's not.

Taiwan is an independent state, under the name "republic of china" There is no denying that. It's fact. Numerous countries recognize it as an independent state. It has it's own constitution etc. The republic of china was once the government of mainland china but moved it's government to Taiwan once the communists took over. So the republic of china is still a country.

:rofl::rofl::rofl:
There are 200 country in the world. Sir, and more than 190 country claimed that Taiwan is a part of china Sir... And I have told you ask your PM and he will tell you.
Can I ask you if 10 person told you indian is wide animal, will the whole world believe indian is wide animal. Your logic is like baby.
 
You couldn't say that on wikipedia, you would most likely be banned for adding false information and it's fairely obvious it's not.

Taiwan is an independent state, under the name "republic of china" There is no denying that. It's fact. Numerous countries recognize it as an independent state. It has it's own constitution etc. The republic of china was once the government of mainland china but moved it's government to Taiwan once the communists took over. So the republic of china is still a country.

both prc and roc offcially states there is only one china as do ALL countries of the world, now of course un-officially taiwan has it own thing going, back to ur previous statement, there are obvious tentions across the stait just because china protests the arms sale does not mean china(prc) is set on invading taiwan, war according to chinese law is only when unification is impossible(ie taiwan declaring Independence) then it will be under civil war conditions but of course us law says it must protect taiwan. WWI started wit a single gun shot, WWIII could very well start with a single word
 
Back
Top Bottom