Taiwan’s Chen urges opposition to back arms deal

TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian vented
his frustration at opposition parties over a stalled $15
billion arms budget on Monday, calling on them to support a
special parliament session to push through the deal.

Chen’s comments came just a week after the Pentagon said in
a report that China’s rapidly modernizing military has put
regional military balances at risk and could pose a long-term
threat to other countries.

Beijing views Taiwan as part of Chinese territory and has
vowed to bring the self-governing democracy of 23 million
people back to the fold — by force if necessary.

“They can’t put individual and party interests above the
country, the people, and especially above national security,
just because they are in opposition,” Chen told a business
group.

“It’s illogical and politically irresponsible to block the
bill from being included in the legislative agenda and accuse
the government of being the main obstacle,” Chen said.

The Nationalists (Kuomintang, or KMT) and their allies hold
a slim majority in parliament and have prevented the
controversial special budget from being included in the
legislative agenda since last June, on grounds that the weapons
are overpriced.

The Chen government says the budget — for six Patriot
anti-missile batteries, eight diesel-electric submarines and 12
P-3C Orion aircraft — is vital to counter a growing military
threat from China and can ensure security for the next 30
years.

Washington said China has deployed 650 to 730 mobile
short-range ballistic missiles and 375,000 ground forces
opposite Taiwan, has more than 700 aircraft within range of the
island and is modernizing its longer-range ballistic missile
force.

But the Pentagon also concluded that China does not now
possess the military capability to attack Taiwan.

Chen urged KMT leader Lien Chan to endorse a special
parliament session to be held during the summer recess to
review the arms bill — a proposal the opposition has yet to
agree to.

But in comments likely to further anger the KMT, Chen said
recent back-to-back visits by Lien and two other opposition
leaders to China reflected a lack of awareness of Taiwanese
national identity.

“If we can form a new collective national identity …. we
would not have seen the bizarre phenomenon in which the
opposition leaders would rather prefer to meet the leader from
the other side than the leader of their own country,” Chen
said.

He also said China’s offer to drop tariffs on imports of
Taiwan fruits was a divide-and-conquer strategy aimed at
helping the pro-China opposition win votes in the south — his
traditional support base — in the presidential election in
2008.