Taiwan has 'urgent' need to buy United States F-16s
Ko, at the head of a Taiwanese delegation attending the Sixth U.S.-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference, made the remarks when he spoke at a breakfast meeting.
He noted that China has continued to build up its military might, which not only threatens Taiwan's security but is also the cause of regional instability.
"This is why Taiwan is determined to speed up its military modernization and increase defense spending," he said.
Taiwan needs to phase out its aging fighter fleet, Ko said. In addition, the Taiwan Relations Act passed by the U.S. Congress in 1979 stipulates that the U. S. will provide Taiwan with appropriate weaponry as it sees fit for the island's practical defense needs.
He noted that the budget for national defense next year will be increased to more than 3 percent of the gross domestic product, and that Taiwan needs to buy more advanced weaponry, including F-16 C/D jet fighters.
Ko also said that to maintain a mutually beneficial Taiwan-U.S. partnership, both sides need to strengthen industrial cooperation.
Taiwan has the edge in talent, resources and a superb production cost control capacity. In addition, Taiwan has not only bought weaponry from the United States, it also produces and exports all sorts of parts and components to the United States, and a lot of Taiwan manufacturers have been certified to provide parts and components to the United States, he said.
To promote bilateral cooperation, Taiwan's government has also decided to restart a national defense science park in Tungluo, Miaoli, he went on.
Meanwhile, a senior Pentagon official was asked Monday if the United States will wait for Taiwan's new president to assume office May 20, 2008 to approve the new fighter sale and whether Taiwan's drive for a referendum on U.N. membership under the name Taiwan will affect defense cooperation between the United States and Taiwan.
The Pentagon official, who demanded anonymity, said the United States has not actually decided whether it will sell Taiwan any new jet fighters at all.
The official said the U.S. government agencies have been consistent in opposing Taiwan's planned referendum on the U.N. bid, but he added that military exchanges between Taiwan and the United States are deep and wide, which should be enough to conform to the promises made in the Taiwan Relations Act.
But he also pointed out that the F-16 C/D fighters are not included in the three big ticket items --six Patriot PAC-3 anti-missile batteries, eight diesel-fueled submarines and a squadron of 12 anti submarine helicopters--approved by the Bush administration in 2001.
The annual U.S.-Taiwan defense industry conference had closed-door meetings that day with the participation of the Taiwan delegation, a U.S. delegation from the U.S.-Taiwan Business Council and representatives of the U.S. defense industry.
Su Chi, a legislator of the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) and former chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council, spoke on the KMT's national defense policy and David Sedney, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia, also spoke later in the day. The conference, the sixth of its kind, is being organized by the U.S.-Taiwan Business Council, a private U.S. association dedicated to promoting trade, economic and financial relations between Taiwan and the United States.
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