US warns of 'repercussions' if Taiwan fails to lift military funding -official 05.10.2004 13:59 Headlines
TAIPEI (AFX) - Washington today warned there will be "repercussions" for the
United States if Taiwan fails to approve a controversial 18 bln usd budget for
advanced weaponry to defend itself, an official said.
In an interview with Taiwan's TVBS cable network, Richard Lawless, a deputy
undersecretary at the US Defense Department, voiced concern about the special
budget awaiting the approval of Taiwan's parliament.
"It will be regarded as a signal, if you will, as the attitude of the
legislation towards the national defense of Taiwan," Lawless said in Arizona
where a three-day defense industry conference was under way.
"If the budget failed to pass, or if a decision was made not to pass the
budget, it will have repercussions for the United States, will have
repercussions for Taiwan's friends," he said without elaborating.
Former US defense secretary William Cohen echoed Lawless' concerns.
Lawless and Taiwan Deputy Defense Minister General Houh Shoou-yeh were key
speakers at the opening Sunday of the US-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference in
Scottsdale.
The US has remained the leading arms supplier to Taiwan, despite switching
diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979.
Under the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, the US is obliged to defend Taiwan
should it be attacked and to provide arms "of a defensive nature" to the island.
The controversial special defense budget calls for purchase of six US-made
Pac-3 anti-missile systems, eight conventional submarines and a fleet of
submarine-hunting P-3C aircraft, over a 15-year period from 2005.
The budget, which the Taiwan cabinet has already, has met opposition in
parliament.
Some critics say Taiwan cannot afford the massive arms spending, while
others say the new weaponry will not be delivered in time to help the island
fend off any attack from China in coming years.
Others say it could fuel an arms race with Beijing, which regards the island
as a renegade province and has vowed to use force to retake it if Taipei
declares formal independence.
The government insists Taipei badly needs the weaponry in the face of a
sustained arms buildup by Beijing, which has 600 ballistic missiles targeting
the island.
cty/mtp/ds
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