Reported: US Will sell Taiwan Aegis Destroyers

this from the defense news early bird service:

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U.S. Arms Approach To Taiwan Fuels Tension With China
London Times, June 25, 2004

Washington has agreed to sell Taiwan the advanced Aegis system, ship-based missile shield that would integrate Taiwan�s defenses with those of the U.S. and Japan. Beijing is not happy with Washington�s decision.

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www.defensenews.com...

annoyingly, i can't verify the original source (the Times) as their site seems to be down... maybe someone else will have better luck? China has announced in the past that any sale of the Aegis system to Taiwan will be viewed as a de facto military alliance with Taiwan and act of agression against the PRC. hope everyone likes dim-sum.

-koji K.

Good. I was reading something about this two years ago, and it is about damn time we gave them the ships.

P.S.- Screw Beijing, and their hurt feelings about anything.

[edit on 26-6-2004 by Crazyhorse]

personally, i don't know if we want to piss off china for the sake of taiwan. i mean, are they worth it? we have more investment in china than taiwan these days.. i say cut 'em loose.

also- i finally got through to the times website. the article is definately there, but its a registration-required site and the registration page is full of scripting errors.. guess i'll have to wait 2 weeks for the paper copy to get to the library.

-koji K.

[edit on 26-6-2004 by koji_K]

Originally posted by koji_K
personally, i don't know if we want to piss off china for the sake of taiwan. i mean, are they worth it? we have more investment in china than taiwan these days.. i say cut 'em loose.

-koji K.

John Kerry.... is that you? Dont be shy....


For starters, we shouldnt be concerning oureselves with pissing off a government that goes miles out its way to piss us off at any given opportunity (you know, like most of central Europe).

And second, it may be just me, but I think the line has to be drawn somewhere. Most of what is considered the free world has given up far too much to scumbags like these (undue consideration, one-sided arms prolifertion and trade agreements, turning a blind eye to their brutal treatment and persecution of those who have the audacity to worship something other than their pinko government, etc...). Its like those same nations (supposedly concerned with creating a world of free peoples) dropped the ball so to speak, and were tempted by the profitable lure of state controlled slave labor and a slim possibility of exporting their goods to China's markets.

As for my concern about American and any other Western business and investment interests in China being lost over protecting Taiwan, screw em, they got into bed with the Commies and I fervently hope they get tossed flat on their a$$e$ for doing so. When I go shoping for something, if it says made in China, I keep on walking until I find an alternative (preferrably made in Taiwan) or I do without it all together if I'm able to. There arent too many countries with the stones to stand up for Taiwan (one of the few legitimate democracys in that region) and I will gladly do what ever I can to support them. World leaders who constantly choose profit over basic principles such as these will lead us to ruin.

[edit on 26-6-2004 by Crazyhorse]

Originally posted by koji_K
personally, i don't know if we want to piss off china for the sake of taiwan. i mean, are they worth it? we have more investment in china than taiwan these days.. i say cut 'em loose.

so much for loyalty, china can go you-know-what itself, really china is sneaky and deceptive and taiwan can actually be trusted as a friend.

i dunno about trusting taiwan as a friend... they can probably be trusted more like someone who you pay countless millions of dollars in military aid and investments. keep in mind we asked them for help in vietnam, and they came over and promptly tried to start world war three for us by trying to invade china. we had to send them back! they may be better than china though in terms of human rights, so i'm not entirely skewed against taiwan. i just think engagement is a better choice. the more china is pried open with trade, the better it will become as a country, imo.

-koji K.

I came here thinking that the US would be selling Taiwan the Ageis Cruiser...which is completely wrong, it just said the "Ageis system" which is a radar, observation, communication system that is used on the Ageis Cruisers.

I doubt the US will ever sell Taiwan such an advanced ship due to the "One China Policy".

re the aegis cruiser vs. aegis system- i think the essential component of the aegis cruiser IS the aegis system? if they sold taiwan a bunch of cruisers without the aegis system i doubt there would be such a fuss about it. there's no such thing as an 'aegis destroyer' or cruiser.. only aegis-EQUIPPED destroyers. when someone says 'aegis destroyer' that's what is meant.

-koji K.

[edit on 26-6-2004 by koji_K]

should have added this link to my last post:

www.fas.org...

-koji K.

i am taiwanese and if china invaded taiwan, they probably will kill thousands of taiwanese. i say very good job USA

fair enough.

-koji K.

Finally... an article I can access on the web! (Before anyone flames me, no, I can't paste a link to the article because I got it from Westlaw. I reproduce it here under 17 U.S.C.A. 1 s.107 ).

The Australian
Copyright 2004 News Ltd. All Rights Reserved

Saturday, June 26, 2004

Taiwan spends $25bn on US arms

Oliver August
The Times

* Beijing TAIWAN is preparing for the biggest weapons purchase in its history in a move that will fuel the arms race in the Taiwan Strait and spark new tensions with China.

Washington has indicated it will sell Taiwan the advanced Aegis weapons system, a ship-based missile shield that would integrate Taiwan's defences with those of the US and Japan.

A delegation of Taiwanese politicians is in the US to negotiate a huge arms deal worth $US18 billion ($25.8 billion) which includes buying eight submarines, a fleet of anti-submarine aircraft and a modified version of the Patriot anti-missile system.

The delegation visited a US missile base in Texas after talks at the Pentagon on Thursday. The visit comes after Taipei announced a special $US18 billion budget to upgrade the island's weapons arsenal.

Admiral Thomas Boulton Fargo, who heads the US Pacific Command, surprised the Taiwanese with the suggestion of arming the island with the Aegis system, delegation members revealed.

"This is the first time we heard they are evaluating the sale of Aegis-equipped destroyers to Taiwan," said Chin Hui-chu, a member of the delegation.

The Aegis is designed to detect and attack dozens of missiles, aircraft and ships simultaneously. Taipei has wanted the system for years, but Washington has always denied the request because of strong protests from Beijing.

The Aegis system is mounted on a fleet of modern destroyers. If acquired by Taiwan, it would vastly diminish China's chances of overrunning the island.

Analysts see strong political overtones in the timing of the deal now being negotiated.

Selling Taipei expensive weapons will benefit the US military industry and cheer the pro-Taiwan lobby in the Republican party.

In his first year in office, President George W. Bush promised to defend Taiwan against any attack from the mainland, but his administration has since been much friendlier towards Beijing.

At a similar stage in his re-election battle, Mr Bush's father, the 41st US president, also negotiated a huge arms deal with Taiwan to shore up his electoral base. In 1992, he agreed to the largest arms sale to Taipei at the time -- a $US6 billion package to sell 150 F16 fighter jets.

The deal instantly saved 5800 jobs in Fort Worth, Texas, but it buried any chance of closer co-operation between Washington, Taipei and Beijing on resolving the dangerous standoff in the Taiwan Strait.

Taiwan's Minister of National Defence, Lee Jye, has confirmed his desire to obtain the Aegis technology. "Acquiring this system is a top goal regarding our mission to contribute to maintaining regional peace," he said.

But the move is expected to spark protests, and more than 1000 demonstrators took to the streets of Taipei last weekend to demand the Government scrap its $US18 billion arms-buying budget.

-koji K.

I'm glad to see this. Taiwan is our ally, and we should do all we can to protect them from imperialistic China. Next we should put a bunch of F-22's there to let China know that the only way Taiwan is going to be part of China is willingly.

China needs to hear this loud and clear, "The US is not abandaning Tiawan." Then maybe they will stop this nonesense.

China needs US buying power to market its goods. Its navy cannot contend with the US's, therefore a Taiwanian invasion is mute.

China can pull all the training and missle tests it likes, they don't mean doo-doo

Bottom Line:

China does not have the airlift or sealift to invade Taiwan. The communist leadership while Stalinesque probably realizes that destroying the island is of little value to them in the long run from a money standpoint.

If the US wants to sell defensive weapons like the Patriot or the Ageis system to a tiny democracy opposing thier brutal tryranical neighbor who am I to oppose it.

As a resident of the country of Taiwan, I am glad to see that Bush has agreed to the sale four years after ChiCom Clinton refused to sell Taiwan the ships.

Taiwan is a democracy that has made significant progress in human rights. Taiwanese genuinely like the United States, something that can't be said of many other people in Asia these days (especially down in Indonesia.)

When Taiwan signed a defense treaty with the U.S. decades, Taiwan was the only country in Asia that insisted it be a MUTUAL defense treaty. The treaties with Japan and South Korea are one-way treaties. Unfortunate, Carter broke off the treaty back in 1979.

I am really afraid that Kerry will win and the recent renewed committment to protecting Taiwan's freedoms will diminish. Lieberman would have been the best bet, but of the two left, Bush is by far the better of the choices.