President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday said that he expected constructive discussions with Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) on a revised arms-procurement package, as the Ministry of National Defense announced it would redirect items from the bill to its regular budget.
"The special arms budget has been unreasonably blocked by the pan-blue-camp parties on 26 occasions in the legislature. There has been no chance for the arms bill to be discussed in the legislature," Chen said. "But with Ma assuming the KMT chairmanship last week, I expect to have a reasonable and practical discussion on the arms bill and national security issues with Ma as soon as possible."
Chen made the comments during a military ceremony in Kinmen yesterday.
PHOTO: WU CHENG-TING, TAIPEI TIMES
The reallocation of items is an apparent attempt to make the bill more palatable to the pan-blue camp. But Ma yesterday seemed uninterested in Chen's agenda or holding a meeting, and tersely suggested that the arms issue should be dealt with by the caucuses in the legislature.
Presidential Office Secretary-General Yu Shyi-kun then said that Ma should clarify his stance on important bills.
"Arms procurement concerns national security. The responsibility has to be taken by both the government and opposition parties, including the majority [party in the legislature]. In short, everyone must share responsibility, and that includes the KMT chairman," he said.
The defense ministry said it would trim the NT$480 billion (US$15 billion) budget to facilitate its passage through the legislature. Although there would be no change in the weaponry to be bought, part of the special budget would be placed in the regular defense budget, military spokesman Liu Chih-chien (劉志堅) said.
Liu said local reports that the NT$133 billion earmarked for six batteries of PAC-3 missiles would be transferred was one option.
Speaking on Ma's leadership of the KMT, Chen said he expected Ma to take an honest and reasonable approach when negotiating with the government.
"I expect that Ma will avoid partisanship and cooperate with the government in promoting the nation's security," he said.
Chen said Taiwan did not want to be involved in an arms race with China. "Avoiding war" and "stopping war" had been the government's position from the outset, he said.
However, Taiwan had to be prepared for a military attack from China, he said.
"China's more than 700 missiles targeting Taiwan and its introduction of the `Anti-Secession' Law in March legalizing a non-peaceful approach to resolving the Taiwan issue show their intentions," he said.
The original arms bill aimed to purchase three major weapons systems from the US -- eight diesel-electric submarines, 12 P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft and PAC-3 Patriot anti-missile batteries.
The delay in approving the arms deal has fueled worries in Washington that Taipei is not serious about its own defense, with some senior US officials calling the budget a litmus test for US-Taiwan relations.
The legislature is set to review the arms budget next month.
Additional reporting by Chiu Yu-tzu
also see story:
KMT willing to review arms plan
ENDEAVOR MANTA: The ship is programmed to automatically return to its designated home port and would self-destruct if seized by another party The Endeavor Manta, Taiwan’s first military-specification uncrewed surface vehicle (USV) tailor-made to operate in the Taiwan Strait in a bid to bolster the nation’s asymmetric combat capabilities made its first appearance at Kaohsiung’s Singda Harbor yesterday. Taking inspiration from Ukraine’s navy, which is using USVs to force Russia’s Black Sea fleet to take shelter within its own ports, CSBC Taiwan (台灣國際造船) established a research and development unit on USVs last year, CSBC chairman Huang Cheng-hung (黃正弘) said. With the exception of the satellite guidance system and the outboard motors — which were purchased from foreign companies that were not affiliated with Chinese-funded
PERMIT REVOKED: The influencer at a news conference said the National Immigration Agency was infringing on human rights and persecuting Chinese spouses Chinese influencer “Yaya in Taiwan” (亞亞在台灣) yesterday evening voluntarily left Taiwan, despite saying yesterday morning that she had “no intention” of leaving after her residence permit was revoked over her comments on Taiwan being “unified” with China by military force. The Ministry of the Interior yesterday had said that it could forcibly deport the influencer at midnight, but was considering taking a more flexible approach and beginning procedures this morning. The influencer, whose given name is Liu Zhenya (劉振亞), departed on a 8:45pm flight from Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) to Fuzhou, China. Liu held a news conference at the airport at 7pm,
AIR SUPPORT: The Ministry of National Defense thanked the US for the delivery, adding that it was an indicator of the White House’s commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) and Representative to the US Alexander Yui on Friday attended a delivery ceremony for the first of Taiwan’s long-awaited 66 F-16C/D Block 70 jets at a Lockheed Martin Corp factory in Greenville, South Carolina. “We are so proud to be the global home of the F-16 and to support Taiwan’s air defense capabilities,” US Representative William Timmons wrote on X, alongside a photograph of Taiwanese and US officials at the event. The F-16C/D Block 70 jets Taiwan ordered have the same capabilities as aircraft that had been upgraded to F-16Vs. The batch of Lockheed Martin
GRIDLOCK: The National Fire Agency’s Special Search and Rescue team is on standby to travel to the countries to help out with the rescue effort A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar and neighboring Thailand yesterday, killing at least three people in Bangkok and burying dozens when a high-rise building under construction collapsed. Footage shared on social media from Myanmar’s second-largest city showed widespread destruction, raising fears that many were trapped under the rubble or killed. The magnitude 7.7 earthquake, with an epicenter near Mandalay in Myanmar, struck at midday and was followed by a strong magnitude 6.4 aftershock. The extent of death, injury and destruction — especially in Myanmar, which is embroiled in a civil war and where information is tightly controlled at the best of times —
RSS