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"There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with
power to endanger the public liberty." - - - - John Adams

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Obama bows to China again - and throws Taiwan under the bus


Obama bows yet again to his Puppetmasters in China and refuses to sell jets to Taiwan

By all reports, Comrade Obama will cave to China and refuse to support Taiwan, an American ally.

The United States has refused Taiwan's request for 66 new F-16C/D fighter jets that China had warned would risk inflaming tensions between the two big powers, according to Defense News citing a Taiwan defense official.

Taiwan has repeatedly asked Washington to agree to sell the advanced F-16 fighter jets, citing the need to counter the growing military strength of China, which deems the island a breakaway province that must eventually accept reunification, by force if necessary.  China cut off ties with the United States military for most of last year to protest against an American arms package for Taiwan.

Neither Washington nor Taipei has made any formal announcement about the latest call for the fighters, but Defense News said on Sunday that Taiwan had been told there would be no sale, citing Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense.

"We are so disappointed in the United States," the report quoted an unnamed Taiwan defense official as saying.

"A US Department of Defense (DoD) delegation arrived here last week to deliver the news and offer instead a retrofit package for (Taiwan's) older F-16A/Bs," the journal reported from Taipei.

Selling F-16s to Taiwan not only supports a friend and ally, but creates jobs
for Americans.  But Obama will always obey his Puppetmasters in Communist China.

Any fresh US arms support to Taiwan is likely to raise hackles in Beijing, but the advanced fighter jets have been an especially touchy point for China, which this week will host US Vice-President Joe Biden.

The bitter debate in the US Congress over spending and the downgrade of the US sovereign credit rating by Standard & Poor's drew blunt criticism from China's state media, including a commentary that said the US debt woes reflected its military overreach abroad.

Taiwan's Defense Ministry said it could not comment on the report, as it had not heard from the US.

"However, we want to point out that the Republic of China (Taiwan) does hope the sale of new F-16C/D fighter aircraft will go through. We are in urgent need of the aircraft," said spokesman Luo Shou He.

"Frankly, it is not a real surprise. The real surprise is that they sold them the F-16s in the first place," said Mr Richard Bitzinger, a senior fellow and regional defense expert at Singapore's S Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

But Bitzinger said it was not a total victory for Beijing because a potential upgrade to existing fighters would go a long way in covering Taiwan's loss of a new batch of F-16s.

"The types of upgrades they are talking about would make them the most advanced F-16s in the world.

"This is a significant upgrade, and I am sure a lot of that work will go to Taiwanese companies. In that regard, it may be a better deal," he said.    - - - Reuters

This China of capitalism and free elections is an Alien Land to Comrade Obama. 

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