The top US military commander in Asia acknowledged Wednesday that US arms sales to Taiwan had been frozen, amid warming ties across the Taiwan Straits and concerns expressed by the Chinese mainland.

"There have been no significant arms sales from the United States to Taiwan in relatively recent times," said Admiral Timothy Keating, commander of the Hawaii-based US Pacific Command.

Keating told a forum of the Washington-based Heritage Foundation he was aware of a freeze on US arms sales to Taiwan, saying it was "administration policy."

"I would not be well positioned to speak for the State Department or the National Security Council or White House," he added.

Officials who made the decision "reconciled Taiwan's military posture, China's current military posture and strategy that indicates there is no pressing, compelling need for, at this moment, arms sales to Taiwan," he said.

Taiwan experts said Keating was the first official to confirm the freeze following reports last month that senior US officials were holding up an 11 billion dollar weapons package and delivery of dozens of F-16 jet fighters for Taiwan, possibly until after President George W. Bush leaves office.

The Bush administration must give Congress formal notification for the approval of weapons sales to foreign governments, but the Washington Post recently cited unnamed sources saying Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley had frozen the deal.

The reports appeared as Chinese Mainland and Taiwan began their first formal talks in a decade in June, the latest step in a rapprochement that is likely to see the long-time rivals quickly deepen trade and tourism ties.

Beijing at the same time had told the United States to permanently end arm sales to Taiwan.

(2008-07-17 16:56:50 AFP)
关键字:英语国际新闻
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