US moots F–16 jet sales to Taiwan on top of missiles

The US will sell advanced missiles, attack helicopters and transport helicopters to Taiwan between this year and 2015, Taiwanese media have quoted a US senator as saying.

Senator James Inhofe made the promise during a visit to Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou on Tuesday.

According to the Taipei-based Central News Agency (CNA), Inhofe, who led a 19-member congressional delegation on a two-day visit to the island, said the US will sell Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missiles to Taiwan in 2015 and this is Washington's firm promise.

Prior to that sale, the US will sell Taiwan 30 Apache attack helicopters this year and 60 Black Hawk transport helicopters in 2014, Inhofe said.

Inhofe was quoted by the CNA as assuring the island's legislative speaker Wang Jin-pyng that he will convince a majority of US senators to support Taiwan's request to buy the F-16 C/D aircraft.

US President Barack Obama last week signed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013.

The act included a section urging the US president to address Taiwan's shortfall in fighter aircraft, whether through the sale of F-16 C/D aircraft or other aircraft of similar capability.

The move prompted strong opposition from the Chinese mainland.

Yang Yujun, spokesman of the Ministry of National Defense, told a regular press conference last month that the content of the Act represented rude interference in China's internal affairs and was harmful to strategic mutual trust between the two sides.

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying also pointed out that China is firmly opposed to arms sales to Taiwan by any country, urging politicians in the US congress to abandon their cold war mentality, adhere to the three Sino-US joint communiqués and respect China's key national interests.

"They should do more to facilitate regional peace and stability, and help the stable growth of ties between China and the US as well as the ones across the Taiwan Straits," Hua added.