The leaders of the Senate Taiwan Caucus, a bipartisan group
of senators in favor of strong U.S. support for the island's security needs, are
preparing to send a letter to President
Obama urging him to make clear to Chinese President Hu Jintao during
next week's summit that the United States will continue
to sell weapons to Taipei, despite Beijing's complaints.
The issue
of U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, which led Beijing to cut off U.S.-China military-to-military
ties in February 2010, is sure to come up next week due to reports that another U.S. weapons package to
Taiwan may be in
the works.
"As you prepare for the arrival of
President Hu Jintao of the People's Republic of China (PRC), we urge you to
remain mindful of the vital security interests of Taiwan. Taiwan is a strong
democracy, a close trading partner, and an historic ally of the United States,"
reads the letter, led by caucus co-chairs Robert
Menendez (D-NJ) and James Inhofe
(R-OK).
"As
faithful friends of Taiwan in the U.S. Senate, we ask that during President
Hu's visit, you emphasize that the United States' position on Taiwan remains
clear: the United States will support Taiwan's security, and continue to
provide Taiwan with defensive arms."
A note
circulated to Senate offices on Thursday said that the goal is to get all 100
senators to sign the letter. Hu has a meeting with congressional leaders in
both parties scheduled for Jan. 20.
In
Congress, caucuses are often loose groups of members who have decided they
generally want to appear active on an issue they agree is important. The Congressional
Taiwan Caucus was established in 2002 and has 141 members. The Senate Taiwan Caucus began in 2003 and has 24 members. The Senate group's most recent
press release was put out in 2004.
But
although the Taiwan caucus has been silent for years, it isn't missing the
opportunity of Hu's final visit to Washington before stepping down as China's
leader to signal congressional support for Taiwan. Menendez is the third-ranking
Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Inhofe is the second-ranking
Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee.
"The PRC has engaged in a large
scale military build-up over the past few years and has not abandoned the
threat of force, with an estimated 1,000 active missiles pointed directly at
Taiwan," the letter stated. "For these reasons, it is of utmost importance that
President Hu understands the United States' unwavering commitment to providing
Taiwan with the tools necessary for its self-defense."
Read More
(1)
HIDE COMMENTS LOGIN OR REGISTER REPORT ABUSE