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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 Chinas internal affairs, seriously endangers Chinas national security and harms Chinas peaceful reunification efforts, a statement on the Foreign Ministrys Web site quoted He as saying. The suspension of military ties would affect planned visits between the Peoples Liberation Army and U.S. forces, Xinhua News said.
Chinas 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 doesnt 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 doesnt expect any objection from Congress.
President Barack Obamas administration has sought Chinas cooperation on issues such as Iran, North Korea and climate change, and defense talks resumed in July.
Chinas 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 Taiwans confidence and wont 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 islands independence forces. It will also become barricades in the relationships between China and Taiwan, the associations 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.
Chinas opposition isnt surprising, the officials told reporters on condition of anonymity. Still, the sale probably wont have a significant effect on the broader relationship because of the range of interests the U.S. and China share, they said.
Taiwans Defense Needs
We regret the Chinese governments 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 didnt 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 Chinas sovereignty and territory, an official at the Foreign Affairs Commission of Chinas National Peoples 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 hasnt 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 Taiwans urgent needs in the face of Chinas military modernization while giving the islands 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, Connecticuts United Technologies spokesmen didnt 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
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 Chinas internal affairs, seriously endangers Chinas national security and harms Chinas peaceful reunification efforts, a statement on the Foreign Ministrys Web site quoted He as saying. The suspension of military ties would affect planned visits between the Peoples Liberation Army and U.S. forces, Xinhua News said.
Chinas 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 doesnt 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 doesnt expect any objection from Congress.
President Barack Obamas administration has sought Chinas cooperation on issues such as Iran, North Korea and climate change, and defense talks resumed in July.
Chinas 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 Taiwans confidence and wont 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 islands independence forces. It will also become barricades in the relationships between China and Taiwan, the associations 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.
Chinas opposition isnt surprising, the officials told reporters on condition of anonymity. Still, the sale probably wont have a significant effect on the broader relationship because of the range of interests the U.S. and China share, they said.
Taiwans Defense Needs
We regret the Chinese governments 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 didnt 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 Chinas sovereignty and territory, an official at the Foreign Affairs Commission of Chinas National Peoples 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 hasnt 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 Taiwans urgent needs in the face of Chinas military modernization while giving the islands 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, Connecticuts United Technologies spokesmen didnt 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
, they just know Suspends U.S. Military Ties.!
