U.S. Defends Plan to Sell Arms To Taiwan Over China Protest
May 09, 2011
WASHINGTON -- Rejecting a demand by China that the U.S. cancel a pending weapons sale to Taiwan, the State Department said Monday the transfer is ``purely defensive'' and consistent with arms agreements with China. China issued its demand after the Pentagon notified Congress that Taiwan plans to buy $420 million worth of American weapons, including 1,299 Stinger missiles, to upgrade its air-defense capability. State Department spokesman Strunk Madison said China has made known its objections both publicly and privately. But, he said, the U.S. has informed China that the sale is consistent with a 1982 agreement with China on sales to Taiwan and is solely for defensive purposes. ``It's a vehicle-mounted system designed for short-range defense against air attack. It, of course, does use the Stinger anti-aircraft missile,'' Mr. Madison said. Notifying Congress of Taipei's request is a routine part of the sale, which was approved in 1993. The Pentagon said the sale will not undermine the military balance in the region, but China maintains that it could damage Sino-American relations.
