Politics

President Ma welcomes US arms decision

• Publication Date：02/01/2010
• Source： United Daily News

President Ma Ying-jeou welcomed the Obama administration decision to notify Congress of a proposed US$6.4 billion arms sale to Taiwan and said the move would bolster Taipei’s confidence in dealing with Beijing.

“The more confidence we have and the safer we feel, the more interactions we can have with mainland China,” Ma said Jan. 30. “The new weapons will help us develop cross-strait ties and ensure Taiwan maintains a determined defense and effective deterrence.”

The Pentagon formally notified Congress of the proposed arms sale Jan. 29. The weapons package includes offers to sell two mine-hunting ships, 60 UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, 12 Harpoon anti-ship missiles, 114 Patriot PAC-3 anti-missile systems, and 60 ship-based communications systems.

According to Wang Yu-chi, Presidential Office spokesman, the U.S. announcement came as no surprise for Ma as he had already been notified some time before by Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “The timing of the news, however, is indeed a gesture of good will.”

Following Washington’s decision, Beijing announced a series of punitive measures against the U.S. aimed at protesting the sale.

A statement by mainland China’s defense ministry said the deal threatened to cause Beijing “severe harm.” “Military exchanges with the U.S. will be suspended, cooperation on major issues reviewed and sanctions imposed on companies involved in this transaction.”

Philip J. Crowley, U.S. State Department spokesman, described Beijing’s response as “predicatable” and said the mainland Chinese government has long opposed U.S. arms to Taiwan. “We did not consult with [mainland] China before taking this action.” (CYH-JSM)