No decision has been made on whether Taiwan will be allowed to buy F-16 fighter jets, the U.S. State Department said Tuesday.
The statement was issued in response to a Star-Telegram inquiry about published reports that Taiwan had been told it could not buy new jets. The department said the matter is still under consideration."We continue to evaluate Taiwan's defense needs. No decisions have been made on potential arms sales to Taiwan," the statement said.Defense News reported Monday that Taiwan defense ministry officials said a visiting U.S. Defense Department delegation told them that the Obama administration had denied the request for F-16s.For years under Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush, it has been U.S. policy to deny sales of new F-16s to Taiwan out of consideration for U.S.-China relations.Under the Taiwan Relations Act, the U.S. decides what defense systems the Taiwan government and armed forces need.Taiwan has requested to buy 66 of the latest-model F-16s from Lockheed Martin, which would build the planes in its west Fort Worth assembly plant.Lockheed is hoping to secure additional F-16 orders from foreign nations to keep the assembly line operating past 2013.Bob Cox, 817-390-7723Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
