Military Balance and Arms Sales

Polls

Survey on Taiwan Relations Act, Arms Procurement, Participation in WHA, and President Ma’s Approval Rating (GVSRC, Apr. 24, 2009) 48.3% of Taiwanese say the government should procure more weapons to gain more ground with China; meanwhile, 32.8% of Taiwanese approve of President Ma’s performance.

F-16 Fighter Jet Sale Still on the Table: Outgoing AIT Chief
(China Post, Jun. 27, 2009) Washington is still considering whether to sell advanced F-16 fighter jets to Taiwan military, the top U.S. official on the island said.

US Talks ‘Disappoint’ Chinese Official
(Taipei Times, Jun. 27, 2009) Washington sources told the Taipei Times that Wang Yi, director of China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, left Washington “disappointed” following a meeting with US Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg this week, during which he tried to persuade the US to end arms sales to Taiwan.

US, China to Discuss Taiwanese Arms
(Taipei Times, Jun. 24, 2009) Top US and Chinese officials were to discuss arms sales to Taiwan at separate meetings in Washington and Beijing, sources said.

Taiwan Defense Firm Seeks China Deal
(AP, Jun. 23, 2009) Taiwan's state-owned defense company said it is discussing cooperation on building commercial aircraft with a Chinese company.

Taiwan Still Looking to Buy New F-16 Jets
(China Post, Jun. 21, 2009) Taiwan has not changed its bid to purchase U.S.-made F-16C/D jet fighters, its defense minister said.

China Envoy to Visit Washington
(Taipei Times, Jun. 20, 2009) Taiwan Affairs Office Director Wang Yi will visit as speculation grows that Washington is on the verge of agreeing to a weapons deal with Taipei.

Military Evaluating ADIC Third Generation Fighter Aircraft: MND
(CNA, Jun. 20, 2009) According to the China Times report, the ADIC has completed the design of the new military aircraft with assistance from Russian experts in the field.

Taiwan Plans F-16 Upgrades By Wendell Minnick
(DefenseNews, Jun. 15, 2009) Taiwan's Air Force is planning a midlife upgrade of its 146 F-16A/B Block 20 fighter jets. Officials from F-16 maker Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Air Force briefed Taiwanese representatives on possible upgrade options earlier this year.

Campbell Confirms Arms Talks
(Taipei Times, Jun. 12, 2009) Kurt Campbell said at his Senate confirmation hearing on his nomination for assistant secretary of state for East Asian affairs that there were “discussions under way right now” on the outstanding request for arms sales to Taiwan.

China Is Now World No. 2 Arms Spender, Report Says
(AP, Jun. 8, 2009) China has become the world's second biggest military spender behind the United States, a Swedish peace research group said.

President Ma Shows Up at MND War Game
(China Post, Jun. 6, 2009) President Ma Ying-jeou visited the two command posts as the director of Operation Han Kuang war game.

Gov’t to Fulfill Military Policy in ‘14
(China Post, Jun. 4, 2009) The Ministry of National Defense has set the goal of turning the nation's military into an all-volunteer force by the end of 2014. But the conscription system of drafting all able-bodied men will be revived in event of war, according to the plan.

Taiwan Kidds to Receive Radar Parts
(DefenseNews, May 16, 2009) The sale is welcome news in Taiwan, where there are fears the U.S. will re-evaluate arms sales as Beijing and Taipei move closer.

Taiwan to Build Own Diesel Subs
(DefenseNews, Apr. 13, 2009) Taiwan appears to have given up on a 2001 U.S. offer of eight diesel submarines and instead will develop an indigenous vessel. An announcement is expected in August, sources here said.

China Mulls Military Contacts with Taiwan
(Reuters, Apr. 14, 2009) China denied that its military officers would meet Taiwanese counterparts in Hawaii this summer, but suggested the two sides could begin low-key defense contacts via retired personnel or academics.

Taiwan Military to Probe Bribery Claims
(AFP, Apr. 9, 2009) Taiwan's defense ministry said it had formed a task group to investigate an alleged high-profile bribery scandal which it said had seriously tarnished the military's image.

Taiwan Helpless to Aid Boat Hijacked by Somali Pirates
(China Post, Apr. 8, 2009) Taiwan is asking for American and British help to save the 30-man crew of its 700-ton tuna boat hijacked by Somalia pirates.

Taiwan May Build Its Own Submarines
(China Post, Apr. 7, 2009) President Ma Ying-jeou is trying to resurrect Project Diving Dragon to create more job opportunities in the shipbuilding industry.

Somali Pirates Hijack British, Taiwan Vessels
(Reuters, Apr. 6, 2009) Pirates seized a British-owned ship and a Taiwan-registered fishing boat after taking three vessels last weekend, officials said.

Taiwan, China Militaries to Meet
(AP, Mar. 31, 2009) Representatives from the Taiwanese and Chinese militaries are planning to meet this summer in Hawaii in their first formal exchange since the two sides split amid civil war six decades ago, a Taiwanese newspaper reported.

DPP Caucus Chief Slams Change in Military Drill
(Taipei Times, Mar. 27, 2009) A Democratic Progressive Party legislator slammed the government for changing the scenario for this year's military drill from defense against a Chinese military attack into military action in case of a “domestic crisis.”

Taiwan Falls within Range of 1,300 China Missiles: MND
(CNA, Mar. 18, 2009) All of Taiwan falls within the range of 1,300-plus ballistic missiles deployed by China, but it remains uncertain whether those missiles are targeted at Taiwan at the moment, a MND official said.

MND to Continue Cutting Troops
(China Post, Mar. 16, 2009) The Ministry of National Defense aims to continue slashing the number of troops but will at the same time beef up the fighting power with the procurement of more advanced defense hardware.

Taiwan Renews Push for U.S. F-16 Fighters
(Reuters, Mar. 14, 2009) Taiwan has renewed a drive to buy advanced U.S.-built F-16 fighter aircraft, confronting President Barack Obama with a delicate decision.

U.S. in Deal to Refurbish Aircraft for Taiwan
(Reuters, Mar. 13, 2009) Lockheed Martin Corp is being awarded a much-anticipated U.S. Navy contract to refurbish 12 submarine-hunting aircraft for Taiwan, the Pentagon said.

U.S. Declines to Sell Taiwan F-16 Fighter Jets: Speaker Wang
(Reuters, Mar. 11, 2009) The U.S. government has declined to make a long-awaited sale of F-16 fighter jets to Taiwan for fear of upsetting China, Legislative Yuan speaker said.

Taiwan: Military Working on China Contact Body
(AP, Mar. 9, 2009) Taiwan is working on setting up a think tank to coordinate contacts with the Chinese military, a Defense Ministry official said.

U.S. Set to Refurbish Planes for Taiwan
(Reuters, Feb. 21, 2009) The U.S. Navy said it had reached a tentative deal to refurbish 12 maritime patrol aircraft for a long-awaited transfer to Taiwan as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in China.

US Policy on Arms Sales Unchanged, Clinton Says
(Taipei Times, Feb. 18, 2009) US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton affirmed that there would be no change in Washington’s policy on arms sales to Taiwan under the administration of US President Barack Obama.

US Intel Chief Warns Against China-Taiwan Conflict
(AP, Feb. 12, 2009) President Barack Obama's top intelligence official suggested that China's massive military spending will spur continued U.S. arms sales to Taiwan to maintain a military balance in the potentially dangerous Taiwan Strait.

Military to Cut Frequency of War Games
(China Post, Feb. 11, 2009) Taiwan military said it is cutting the frequency of a major military exercise, but denied the move is connected to improving ties with China.

Raytheon Wins Patriot-Upgrade Job from Taiwan
(DefenseNews, Jan. 26, 2009) Under the contracts, Raytheon will upgrade Taiwan's Patriots to "configuration 3," the same upgrade the company is completing for the U.S. Army.

MND Considers Troop Cuts As Ties with China Imporve
(China Post, Jan. 20, 2009) The Ministry of National Defense will proceed with a plan to slash the number of troops as relations with China improve and modern weapons technologies are introduced.

Defense Chief Balks at Sending Naval Vessels to Gulf of Aden
(CNA, Jan. 19, 2009) Minister of National Defense Chen Chao-min said that it will be rather difficult to dispatch naval vessels to the Gulf of Aden to protect Taiwanese ships from Somalian pirates operating there.

Ma Calls on PRC to Remove Missiles
(Taipei Times, Jan. 18, 2009) President Ma Ying-jeou reiterated his call on Beijing to remove its missiles targeting Taiwan and improve cross-strait relations through negotiation.

Government Still Mulling Use of Anti-Piracy Frigates
(Taipei Times, Jan. 10, 2009) Sending navy ships to Somalia to protect Taiwanese vessels is a complex issue that hinges on the world’s perception of the nation, lawmakers said.

Agencies Mull Warships to Somalia
(Taipei Times, Jan. 9, 2009) The government is studying the possibility of sending warships to protect Taiwanese fishing boats in the waters off Somalia, a high-ranking official at the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday.

MND Unmoved by PRC Missile Report
(Taipei Times, Jan. 4, 2009) The Ministry of National Defense said it would not cut back on the nation’s defense despite a media report that said China could gradually decrease the number of missiles targeting Taiwan.

An Assessment of Tiawan’s Quadrennial Defense Review By Michael M. Tsai (China Brief, Jamestown Foundation, Apr. 16, 2009) The first ever published QDR by Taiwan’s MND may be considered by many scholars and military experts as progressive and innovative in its strategic and military planning and build-up. These estimates, however, tend to underestimate the PLA’s rapid military modernization and intention.

Taiwan-China Mil-to-Mil Report False By Wendell Minnick
(DefenseNews, Apr. 3, 2009) Media reports that the U.S. Pacific Command (PaCom) is sponsoring a military-to-military dialogue between China and Taiwan for this summer appear to be incorrect.

Preparing for an Attack from China By Lee Wen-chung
(Taipei Times, Mar. 25, 2009) Not only should the government strive to upgrade its modern aircraft, warship, anti-ballistic missiles and C4ISR systems, but its core combat capabilities should also be based on sustainable and asymmetric warfare.

The Road Ahead for ROC Military By Alexander Huang
(Taipei Times, Mar. 20, 2009) Taiwan’s first QDR has two main themes: prevention and transformation. For prevention, the Ma administration does not rely solely on modernizing and building up its forces, but also strives for manageable cross-strait relations.

Taiwan’s Call to Arms By Richard D. Fisher Jr.
(Wall Street Journal, Mar. 18, 2009) Taiwan may be facing a reprise of the Clinton years, when it was forced to rely on its own technologies and on brave allies in the U.S. Congress who understood the need to defend Taiwan, even in the face of Administration policy and defense cuts that undermined U.S. security commitment.

Taiwan Army to be Cut by 20pc By Rowan Callick
(The Australian, Mar. 18, 2009) Taiwan is slashing its army by about a fifth as relations warm with China, its economy slumps and it switches from a conscripted force to a professional army -- like that of the People's Republic.

Taiwan Gets 12 Orion ASW Aircraft By Wendell Minnick
(DefenseNews, Mar. 15, 2009) With China holding $1.9 trillion in foreign exchange reserves and Washington asking Beijing to buy even more U.S. debt, there are concerns Obama's pending Taiwan policy will favor no arms in the future.

A Closer Look at Hu’s ‘Six Proposals’ By Yu Tsung-chi
(Taipei Times, Jan. 15, 2009) To prevent possible reactions at home and aboard, Taiwan’s military interactions with China must be openly negotiated between China and Taiwan, between Taiwan and the US, and between China and the US.

Obama Moves to Counter China in Space with Pentagon-NASA Link (Bloomberg, Jan. 2, 2009) President-elect Barack Obama will probably tear down long-standing barriers between the U.S.’s civilian and military space programs to speed up a mission to the moon amid the prospect of a new space race with China.