Unprecedented Scale, Extra-high Specification

The theme of the conference will develop around US arms sale to Taiwan, including the procedures, treaty and derivative items concerning the acquisition of military equipment as well as Taiwan's "defense requirements" in the 21st century. Besides probing into the past, especially Taiwan's military changes in the past year, the meeting will particularly explore Taiwan's demand in the aspects of command, control, communication, intelligence and computer. The meeting gains support from several American defense enterprises such as Boeing, Lockheed and Martin

The meeting is of an extremely high specification, apart from American and Taiwan ranking military officers, including former US Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolf-fowitz, and Taiwan's "chief of the general staff" Li Chieh, a large number of US arms dealers will also be invited. There are also quite a number of personages who have decided to deliver speeches or hand in papers at the meeting. They include Frank C. Carlucci, president of the US-Taiwan Business Council and former secretary of defense; Paul Wolf-flowitz, deputy secretary of defense; James A. Kelly, assistant secretary of state in charge of East Asian affairs; related responsible members of the air force and army under the US Defense Department; Sorensen, vice-present of Lockheed Martin companies and Jerry Daniels, president and CEO of Boeing Military Aircraft and Missile Systems. Taiwan side include: lieutenant general" Liu Hsiang-pin, "secretary-general of the state security conference" and "lieutenant general" Lin Tsin-ching, "director of a material department under the ministry of defense".

It is said that the US-Taiwan chamber of commerce also invites Taiwan's "defense minister" Tang Jao-ming to attend the "defense meeting", the US State Department will agree to give visa to Tang Jao-ming, in the capacity as the "defense minister of the republic of China", to go to the United States. Tang will be the first "defense minister" to formally visit the United States since the "severance of diplomatic relations" between the United States and Taiwan, which demonstrates the further deepening of US-Taiwan military collusion.

US-Taiwan Collaboration, Each Takes What It Needs

Since the "severance of diplomatic ties" between the United States and Taiwan, the exchange between US and Taiwan military personnel has become rather sensitive, contacts between personnel at or above the general level have maintained a low key, but this situation has altered along with the change in the situation in the United States and in Taiwan Island. What is more, the "US-Taiwan defense meeting" superficially is "an academic seminar of a civilian nature", but since it is of such a high specification, on such a large scale and to be held at such a special time, obviously it is difficult to conceal its ulterior political motive.

The United States is the biggest backstage boss of "Taiwan independence", as well as the most important backing of Chen Shui-bian authority. Recently, relevant US officials energetically preached the views that the United States "would not forget its commitment to Taiwan" and would "implement the Taiwan Relations Act". The US-Taiwan chamber of commerce "plays the white-glove role for the US authority", hosting the largest "bilateral conference" in 30 years since the "severance of diplomatic ties" between the United States and Taiwan, The US State Department even agrees on Tang Jao-ming's visit to the United States in the capacity of "defense minister", creating a false impression of a "US-Taiwan diplomatic breakthrough ", obviously, this is aimed to pacify the Taiwan authorities and bolster and embolden Chen Shui-bian.

Selling weapons to Taiwan under the pretext of striking a "military balance between the two sides of the Straits" is America's consistent strategy, as well as one of the main channels for the United States to push its strategy of "using Taiwan to contain China". Due to economic depression, US armament industry, which is anxious to find a way out, also wants to reap fabulous profits from Taiwan, which is deceived on account of its generosity. The Chen Shui-bian authority, in order to get still more, stronger bargaining chips for its "pursuance of independence by force", has time and again demanded that the United States sell "high-grade, precision and sophisticated" weapons to Taiwan. So the United States and Taiwan quickly become partners, US and Taiwan merchants act as middlemen for the high-ranking military officers of the two sides, so the "US-Taiwan defense meeting' of a "civilian nature" suddenly becomes an avenue for "dialogs on US-Taiwan military security" and for bargaining over US arms sales to Taiwan. The agenda of the meeting is associated with US arms sale to Taiwan, people attending the meeting are also old hands in charge of arms sale and arms purchase on both sides of the United States and Taiwan, this has been proved from one aspect.

( March 10, 2002)