President Ma repeats call for US to sell Taiwan jet fighters

President Ma repeats call for U.S. to sell Taiwan jet fighters

June 29, 2011 - President Ma Ying-jeou urged the U.S. again Tuesday to approve the sale of advanced F-16 C/D jet fighters to Taiwan, saying that with China's continued military buildup, it was becoming increasingly crucial to maintain the military balance across the Taiwan Strait.

In a meeting at the Presidential Office with Raymond F. Burghardt, chairman of the American Institute in Taiwan, Ma said Taiwan was appreciative of the U.S.' two most recent weapons sales to Taiwan in October 2008 and January 2010, respectively.

The US$13 billion procurement packages have allowed Taiwan to improve its defense preparedness, the president said.

However, he said, Taiwan still needs to acquire advanced F-16 C/Ds to upgrade its fleet of F-16 A/B jet fighters, and to purchase diesel submarines in order to further strengthen its defense capabilities.

He stressed that Taiwan's efforts to acquire the weapon systems from the U.S. were purely for defensive purposes, in keeping with the terms of the Taiwan Relations Act.

The weapons that Taiwan is seeking cannot be produced locally and will be used to replace aging ones, he said.

ENDS

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