US to sell arms to Taiwan; China warns move will hurt ties.

[DarK-LorD]

US to sell arms to Taiwan; China warns move will hurt ties.
PTI | Sep 22, 2011, 12.57PM IST

WASHINGTON/BEIJING: The US has announced a $5.85 billion arms sales to Taiwan, including upgrading its 145 F-16 fighter jets, a decision which immediately infuriated China which warned the move will hurt Sino-US defence ties.

"It is our strong view that these sales will make a significant contribution to Taiwan's air defense capabilities because it is upgrading the backbone capability of Taiwan's air force," US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell told reporters.

Campbell said this package includes the retrofit for 145 of Taiwan's F-16 A/B fighter jets, including radars, weapons, structural upgrades, totaling about $5.3 billion.

It will also include a five-year extension of F-16 pilot training at Luke Air Force Base in the United States, totaling about $500 million and aircraft spare parts for sustaining Taiwan's F-16s, its existing fleet of F-5s, and C-130 cargo planes, the total amount about $52 million.

"This retrofit programme will provide a substantial increase in the survivability, the reliability, and the overall combat capabilities of Taiwan's 145 F-16 A and B fighter aircraft," he said.

"This will help ensure that Taiwan maintains the capability to protect its airspace... This sale is a clear demonstration of the commitment of this Administration to sustain and improve Taiwan's defense capabilities," he said.

China, which views Taiwan as its "integral part", warned that the move will hurt its defence ties with America.

"Rather than working with China to consolidate and expand the positive growth of bilateral military ties, the US again announced its plan to sell arms to Taiwan, which will create severe obstacles for normal military-to-military exchanges," Chinese defence ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng warned.

US to sell arms to Taiwan; China warns move will hurt ties - The Times of India

 

[vtnsx]

US to sell arms to Taiwan; China warns move will hurt ties.
PTI | Sep 22, 2011, 12.57PM IST

WASHINGTON/BEIJING: The US has announced a $5.85 billion arms sales to Taiwan, including upgrading its 145 F-16 fighter jets, a decision which immediately infuriated China which warned the move will hurt Sino-US defence ties.

"It is our strong view that these sales will make a significant contribution to Taiwan's air defense capabilities because it is upgrading the backbone capability of Taiwan's air force," US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell told reporters.

Campbell said this package includes the retrofit for 145 of Taiwan's F-16 A/B fighter jets, including radars, weapons, structural upgrades, totaling about $5.3 billion.

It will also include a five-year extension of F-16 pilot training at Luke Air Force Base in the United States, totaling about $500 million and aircraft spare parts for sustaining Taiwan's F-16s, its existing fleet of F-5s, and C-130 cargo planes, the total amount about $52 million.

"This retrofit programme will provide a substantial increase in the survivability, the reliability, and the overall combat capabilities of Taiwan's 145 F-16 A and B fighter aircraft," he said.

"This will help ensure that Taiwan maintains the capability to protect its airspace... This sale is a clear demonstration of the commitment of this Administration to sustain and improve Taiwan's defense capabilities," he said.

China, which views Taiwan as its "integral part", warned that the move will hurt its defence ties with America.

"Rather than working with China to consolidate and expand the positive growth of bilateral military ties, the US again announced its plan to sell arms to Taiwan, which will create severe obstacles for normal military-to-military exchanges," Chinese defence ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng warned.

US to sell arms to Taiwan; China warns move will hurt ties - The Times of India

How the hell does that hurt military ties? Does China feel that it's a threat to Great China that mini Taiwan is getting weapons from the US to defend itself from Chinese invasion? Yes. Go home China.

 

[aimarraul]

Arms sales to Taiwan hamper military exchanges
Updated: 2011-09-22 16:38(Xinhua)

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BEIJING - China on Thursday said the latest US arms sales to Taiwan created "severe obstacles" for the two countries' normal military-to-military exchanges.

"Rather than working with China to consolidate and expand the positive growth of bilateral military ties, the United States again announced its plan to sell arms to Taiwan, which will create severe obstacles for normal military-to-military exchanges," spokesman Geng Yansheng said on Thursday.

Geng's comments came after the US government on Wednesday notified Congress of its latest decision to sell $5.85 billion of arms to Taiwan, including an upgrade of Taiwan's 145 F-16A/B fighter jets.

The package also involves F-16A/B fighter jets training and logistics as well as spare parts for F-16A/Bs and other aircraft such as IDF fighters, F-5E/F fighters and C-130H cargo planes.

The fresh arms sale announcement is 20 months away from the Pentagon's decision in January 2010 to sell a nearly 6.4-billion-US-dollar arms package to Taiwan, an inalienable part of China.

After the last sale, China cut off some military exchange programs with the United States.

"In recent years, China-US military relations have never broken the vicious circle of 'development-stagnation-redevelopment-restagnation," Geng said, attributing it to US moves to sell arms to Taiwan regardless of China's repeated resolute opposition.

Starting from 2011, China-US military relations have warmed with multi-field exchanges and cooperation, Geng said.

As a sign of the warming of ties, senior US defense leaders, including former US defense secretary Robert Gates and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen visited China this year while Chief of the General Staff of the People's Liberation Army of China Chen Bingde travelled to the United States in May.

"Reality has proved that the United States should be held fully accountable for damaging China-US military relations," Geng said.

Stressing the Taiwan issue concerns China's sovereignty, territorial integrity and core interest, Geng said Chinese military's position on safeguarding state sovereignty and territorial integrity is resolute and clear.

He said US' incorrect decision to sell arms to Taiwan will unavoidably undermine China-US military relations.

"We strongly urge the US side to take immediate and effective measures to remove the negative impacts and respect China's core interest and honor its solemn commitment on Taiwan issue by practical actions," Geng said.

He called on the United States to put an end to arms sale to Taiwan and cut its military links with Taiwan in order to avoid the further damage to China-US military ties.

Geng said the wrongdoing by the US side severely violates the three Sino-US joint communiques, in particular the principles enshrined in the August 17 Communique, and goes against the important consensus by the heads of the two states on jointly building a China-US partnership that will feature mutual respect, mutual benefit and win-win cooperation.

The United States agreed to gradually reduce its arms sales to Taiwan, according to the "August 17 Communique" signed in 1982.

Geng added that the arms sale package severely undermines the positive momentum of peaceful development in cross-Strait relations.

Guan Youfei, deputy chief of China's Defense Ministry's foreign affairs office was instructed on Thursday morning to summon the acting US military attache to China and lodge strong protest over a new round of US arms sales to Taiwan.

The vehement reaction came not only from the Chinese military, but also the diplomatic and public circles.

Later Wednesday, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun was instructed to summon the US Ambassador to China Gary Locke and lodge strong protest to the US side.

Chinese ambassador to the United States Zhang Yesui also lodged strong protest on behalf of the Chinese government in Washington.

"Uncle Sam will eventually pay bigger price for the current interest it has gained by eating his words," a blogger, wdgq1985, posted on the popular news site Sina.com.