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Taiwan's Chen urges opposition to back arms deal

Posted on: Monday, 25 July 2005, 03:45 CDT

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.

Source: REUTERS

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