Taiwan eyes upgrades after US reportedly declines to sell new F-16s

Sep 17, 2011, 5:59 GMT

TAIPEI - A military official said Saturday that Taiwan would accept an upgrade of existing fighter jets after the US government reportedly rejected its request for new F-16s.

The semi-official Central News Agency said US government had told Congress it had declined Taipei's request for 66 F-16 C/D fighter jets, a deal that would have been worth 8 billion dollars.

The US would instead offer 4.2-billion-dollar package including an upgrade to the older F-16s, the news agency said.

'We're still hoping they will make the right decision,' Deputy Defence Minister Andrew Yang said. 'But the A/B upgrade is also on our agenda. It's an incremental process, so the upgrade is progress.'

Taiwan's lobbying efforts failed to convince Washington to approve the five-year-old request for new fighters, which Taipei said are crucial because China spends 10 times more on its military each year.

Communist China has claimed sovereignty over self-ruled Taiwan since the 1940s, when the Nationalists lost the civil war to Mao Zedong's forces and fled to the island.

Beijing never renounced the threat of force if Taiwan moves toward formal independence, although the two sides have improved relations and strengthened economic ties since mid-2008.

The US has been Taiwan's staunchest informal ally for 60 years, with a congressional act that allows it to help with the island's military defence.

'I expect that Taiwan will express appreciation for the upgrades, but will make it clear that it still hopes to purchase the F-16 C/Ds,' Bonnie Glaser of the Center for Strategic and International Studies said.

'The Obama administration will not 'formally say no' to the F-16 C/Ds,' she said. 'They will remain an option for the future.'

The US sees China as a crucial economic partner and must tread lightly in its relations. An arms package for Taiwan worth 6.4 billion dollars in January 2010 strained ties with Beijing.

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