The chairman of Washington's American Institute in Taiwan says the U.S. administration is still considering bids by Taiwan to purchase U.S. fighter jets.
"It's an issue we are studying. There has been no decision made saying we are not going to sell … We are carefully looking at the aerial defense needs of Taiwan," institute Chairman Raymond Burghardt told reporters in Taipei.
His remarks followed talks with President Ma Ying-jeou, who has made the request for the island's purchase of F16 C/D jets.
The controversial bid has sparked concerns from China, which is pressing the United States to honor its commitments and stop selling arms to Taiwan. Even senior U.S. congressmen have grown worried, saying U.S. arms sales to Taipei could imperil relations with China.
Taiwan requested purchase of 66 F-6 fighters in early 2007. Washington, though, has held up the deal, apparently heeding concerns from Beijing. Yet when the United States sanctioned a $6.4 billion arms deal with Taiwan in January, China retaliated by suspending military talks with the United States and repositioning cruise and ballistic missiles opposite Taiwan.
The arms deal includes Black Hawk helicopters, mine hunter ships and advanced Patriot missiles, built by Lockheed Martin and Raytheon.
U.S. officials have long indicated that the deal would be followed by plans to gauge the design and construction of diesel-powered submarines for the island, which China deems a wayward province.
In addition to Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, the companies taking part in the $6.4 billion deal include United Technologies Corporation, maker of the Black Hawk helicopter, and Boeing, manufacturer of the Harpoon missiles.
Washington is required under the Taiwan Relations Act to ensure that Taiwan can defend itself. The United States remains the island's top arms supplier.
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has defended Washington's designs, saying the sale was in line with the Taiwan Relations Act. He also stressed that thawed relations between Beijing and Taipei hadn't diminished the need for them.
China and Taiwan split at the end of a civil war in 1949. Relations though have eased since the election of Ma two years ago. Apprehension though looms on both sides of the straits.
Citing Alexander Chieh-cheng Huang of Tamkang University's Graduate Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies, the Taiwan Today daily said the Chinese Communist Party was using leading congressional officials to influence Washington's decision.
"The U.S. may still approve arms sales to Taiwan but chances are that the number of weapons in the next package will be reduced," Taiwan Today said.
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