US suspends F-16 sale to Taiwan

TAIPEI: The United States has temporarily blocked the sale to Taiwan of 66 advanced fighter planes after the island's parliament repeatedly failed to approve funds for an earlier arms package, a Taiwan defence official said on Tuesday.

This year Taiwan requested the F-16CD fighter jets over a five-to-10-year period, in a deal that could be worth as much as $5.5 billion.

The National Defense Ministry says the planes are needed to defend Taiwan from any assault by China, which views the separately ruled island as part of its territory.

In 2001 the United States offered to sell a previous weapons package, but opposition lawmakers have blocked a special budget to buy the arms in parliament, where they hold a slim majority, claiming the package is unnecessary and expensive.

That package included eight diesel-electric submarines, 12 P-3C Orion anti-submarine aircraft and Patriot anti-missile systems.

As a result of those delays, President George W. Bush had declined to approve the F-16 sale, said the Taiwan defence department official on condition of anonymity.

"The special arms package still has not been passed. Once it is passed, this case (for the F-16s) will be approved," said the official, citing comments by National Defense Minister Lee Jye made a day earlier during parliamentary questions.

US arms sales to Taiwan are a politically sensitive issue, as they are opposed by Beijing, and viewed in Washington as a test of Taiwan's willingness to invest in its own defence and cut the chance of a cross-straits clash that could end up drawing in the US.

Taiwan has already purchased 150 F-16AB jets, which are made by Lockheed Martin Corp.

The F-16CDs would replace the Ching-kuo Indigenous Defense Fighter, F-5 supersonic fighter and perhaps also the Mirage 2000 multi-role fighter built by Dassault of France, US officials have said on condition of anonymity.