U.S. refuses Taiwan request for new jets

[jimmy olsen]

Disgusting cowardice.  Where are defense industry lobbyists when you need them.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/15/us-taiwan-usa-china-idUSTRE77E0PP20110815

U.S. refuses Taiwan request for new jets: report

By Faith Hung

TAIPEI | Mon Aug 15, 2011 10:11am EDT

TAIPEI (Reuters) - The United States has refused Taiwan's request for 66 new Lockheed Martin F-16C/D fighter jets which China had warned Washington would risk inflaming tensions between the two big powers, Defense News reported, citing a Taiwan defense official.

Taiwan has repeatedly asked Washington to agree to sell the advanced F-16 fighter jets, citing the need to counter the growing military strength of China, which deems the island a breakaway province that must eventually accept reunification, by force if necessary.

Laura Siebert, Lockheed Martin's spokeswoman for the F-16 program, had no immediate comment on the Defense News report.

Neither Washington nor Taipei has made any formal announcement about the latest call for the fighters, but Defense News (www.defensenews.com) said on Sunday that Taiwan had been told there would be no sale, citing Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense.

"We are so disappointed in the United States," the report quoted an unnamed Taiwan defense official as saying.

"A U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) delegation arrived here last week to deliver the news and offer instead a retrofit package for (Taiwan's) older F-16A/Bs," the journal reported from Taipei.

The proposed $4.2 billion upgrade package would make the 146 Taiwanese F-16A/Bs among the most capable variants of the aircraft, the report said.

The new gear would include an AESA radar, likely either Northrop Grumman's Scalable Agile Beam Radar or the Raytheon Advanced Combat Radar, it said.

Any fresh U.S. arms support to Taiwan is likely to raise hackles in Beijing, but the advanced fighter jets have been an especially touchy point for China, which this week will host U.S. Vice President Joe Biden.

The bitter debate in the U.S. Congress over spending and the downgrade of the U.S. sovereign credit rating by Standard & Poor's drew blunt criticism from China's state media, including a commentary that said the U.S. debt woes reflected its military overreach abroad.

Taiwan's Defense Ministry said it could not comment on the report, as it had not heard from the United States.

"However, we want to point out that the Republic of China (Taiwan) does hope the sale of new F-16C/D fighter aircraft will go through. We are in urgent need of the aircraft," Spokesman Luo shou-he told Reuters.

The United States switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in 1979 and recognizes Beijing's "one China" policy. But it is also Taiwan's biggest ally and arms supplier and is duty-bound by legislation to help the island in the event of attack.

Washington had been set to make a decision by October on Taiwan's oft-repeated request for the fighter jets, balancing its legal obligations to Taiwan under the Taiwan Relations Act against the need to avoid upsets with a major creditor and trading partner, China.

"Frankly, it is not a real surprise. The real surprise is that they sold them the F-16s in the first place," said Richard Bitzinger, a senior fellow and regional defense expert at Singapore's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

But Bitzinger said it was not a total victory for Beijing because a potential upgrade to existing fighters would go a long way in covering Taiwan's loss of a new batch of F-16s.

"The types of upgrades they are talking about would make them the most advanced F-16s in the world. This is a significant upgrade, and I am sure a lot of that work will go to Taiwanese companies. In that regard, it may be a better deal," he said.

The Obama administration's decision to move forward with a set of arms sales to Taiwan last year triggered an angry response from Beijing, which curtailed many military contacts and threatened to sanction companies involved in the sales.

Since then, Beijing and Washington have patched up ties, but the potential sale of more U.S. weapons to Taiwan remains a sensitive issue.

In May, a visiting Chinese military commander warned against any future U.S. arms sales to Taiwan. And recently, a popular tabloid linked to China's Communist Party's mouthpiece argued that China should use its "financial weapon to slap Washington" over any arms sales to Taiwan.

(Additional reporting by Chris Buckley and Michael Martina in Beijing and Jim Wolf in Washington; Editing by Nick Macfie, Dave Zimmerman)

[Lettow77]

 Honestly, I'm not seeing this whole "Taiwan" thing having a favourable outcome. If Chūka Minkoku's integration had not been disrupted by a bunch of KMT riffraff, it could have been part of the Home Isles by now.

[Brazen]

The US is strengthening defence business links with China for financial as much as strategic reasons at the moment.

Taiwan also unveiled a new mobile version of its "aircraft carrier killer" missile the same week as China began sea trials of the crappy old carrier it bought off the Ukraine. Coincidence?

[CountDeMoney]

"We are so disappointed in the United States,"

You got that right.

[Martinus]

Remind me again why the US should support a corruption-ridden regime against its biggest trade partner?

[CountDeMoney]

its biggest trade partner?

You almost make it sound equitable.

[jimmy olsen]

The US is strengthening defence business links with China for financial as much as strategic reasons at the moment.

Taiwan also unveiled a new mobile version of its "aircraft carrier killer" missile the same week as China began sea trials of the crappy old carrier it bought off the Ukraine. Coincidence?

Taiwan has "aircraft killer missiles"?

[Martinus]

its biggest trade partner?

You almost make it sound equitable.

When you are a junkie, your deal is your best friend.

[Razgovory]

Remind me again why the US should support a corruption-ridden regime against its biggest trade partner?

Our biggest trading partner is Canada.

[Razgovory]

Honestly, I'm not seeing this whole "Taiwan" thing having a favourable outcome. If Chūka Minkoku's integration had not been disrupted by a bunch of KMT riffraff, it could have been part of the Home Isles by now.

Wow, the one time that secession is actually justified and you totally miss out.

[CountDeMoney]

Honestly, I'm not seeing this whole "Taiwan" thing having a favourable outcome. If Chūka Minkoku's integration had not been disrupted by a bunch of KMT riffraff, it could have been part of the Home Isles by now.

Wow, the one time that secession is actually justified and you totally miss out.

Gotta remember his Vision Quest;  came back in a Mao jacket with a Little Red Book.

[Razgovory]

Sometimes even a broken clock isn't right twice a day.

[CountDeMoney]

If only Chiang called himself Nathan Bedford Kai-Shek, Lettuce would be whistling a different Dixie.

[Brazen]

There could be an element of wanting to pacify China over the credit rating debacle. Putting up the interest rates would be rather more disastrous than losing a single deal.

[Neil]

Remind me again why the US should support a corruption-ridden regime against its biggest trade partner?

What does Canada have to do with this?