Obama opposes Congressional push for Taiwan's F-16's - Wendell Minnick

Wendell Minnick

US president Barack Obama plans to push Congress against the law that would allow the sale of F-16's to Taiwan, Wendell Minnick writes in Defense News. The result of a meeting with Congress yesterday are not yet known.  

"The U.S. government does not comment on possible foreign military sales - including processes associated with them - unless formal congressional notification has taken place," a State Department spokesman said in an email. "Consistent with long-standing U.S. policy, U.S. arms sales to Taiwan are guided by the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) and based on our assessment of Taiwan's defense needs. Meeting Taiwan's defense needs is a deep and enduring commitment of the United States, and this administration is committed to doing so under the terms of the TRA. We authorized the sale of $6.4 billion in arms to Taiwan just last year." 

According to one source, the official notification on the deal should be released by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, the Defense Department office that oversees foreign arms sales, some time next week.

More in Defense News Wendell Minnick is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need him at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch.

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