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A30 world news
Diaranson 28 october 2020

Taiwan says new arms purchases to boost credible defense

Corp. and Boeing Co.’s de- mitments to China while graded equipment for Tai-
fense division, the lead con- bolstering the confidence wan's F-16 jet fighters.
tractor on a $2.37 billion sale of those such as the ruling Taiwan has long been an irri-
of Harpoon missile systems Democratic Progressive Par- tant in U.S.-China relations.
to Taiwan. ty of President Tsai Ing-wen Washington has no formal
who favor the island's inde- relations with the island’s
Facing a potential Chinese pendence from China. democratically elected gov-
foe with overwhelming su- ernment but is its main ally.
periority in missiles, soldiers, Washington should “revoke U.S. law requires the govern-
ships and planes, Taiwan has the arms sale plan to Taiwan ment to ensure Taiwan can
struggled to assure its own so as to avoid further damage defend itself. In recent years,
people and its key ally, the to China-U.S. relations and weapons sales to the island
U.S., that it is capable of and peace and stability across the have increased in quantity
willing to see to its own de- Taiwan Strait," Wang told re- and quality, as China builds
fense. The sides split during porters. “China will take le- the world's second most
a civil war in 1949 and China gitimate and necessary mea- powerful military dedicated
considers Taiwan its own ter- sures to resolutely defend largely to defeating Taiwan
ritory, to be brought under its national sovereignty and se- and achieving its goal of an-
control by force if necessary. curity interests." nexation.
“The purchase of these weap- The Trump administration Stepped-up patrols by Chi-
ons will enhance Taiwan’s on Monday notified Con- nese warplanes this year
credible combat capabilities gress of plans for the sale of have put Taiwan's forces un-
and asymmetric combat ca- the Harpoon system, whose der greater strain, increasing
pabilities," Shih told report- missiles are capable of strik- the importance of develop-
ers at a briefing, using a term ing ships and land targets. ing new weapons systems or
for countering a much stron- Boeing says the missile uses buying them from abroad.
ger foe with precision weap- GPS-aided inertial naviga- Beijing regularly pressures
ons and advanced tactics. tion and delivers a 500-pound American companies includ-
“This will also enhance our blast warhead. It can target ing Boeing in an effort to in-
(AP) — Taiwan said Tues- The comments from de- overall combat capabilities coastal defense sites, surface- fluence U.S. policy. China is
day that recently pro- fense ministry spokesperson to contribute to maintaining to-air missile sites, exposed one of Boeing’s biggest mar-
posed purchases of U.S. Shih Shun-wen came a day peace and stability across the aircraft, ships in port, and kets for commercial aircraft,
missiles and other arms after China said it would Taiwan Strait." port and industrial facilities. which might make it vulner-
systems will boost the is- exact unspecified retaliation That followed another pro- able to a boycott, but China's
land’s ability to credibly against companies that make In Beijing, foreign ministry posed sale announced Oct. defense ministry mentioned
defend itself amid rising the weapons systems, includ- spokesperson Wang Wenbin 21 of $1.8 billion worth of only Boeing’s military arm,
threats from China. ing Lockheed Martin Corp., on Tuesday again accused weaponry, including missile Boeing Defense, not its civil-
Raytheon Technologies the U.S. of violating its com- and rocket systems, and up- ian jetliner business.

UN urges Libyan rivals to implement cease-fire, pursue peace

(AP) — The U.N. Secu- ers, including Syrians, Su- bargo and withdraw all mer- Ahead of the cease-fire agree-
rity Council on Tuesday Libya descended into chaos danese and Chadians, have cenaries from Libya — and ment, talks in Egypt and
welcomed the perma- after the 2011 uprising that been brought to Libya by the commitment of the par- Morocco resulted in positive
nent cease-fire agreement toppled longtime autocrat both sides, according to U.N. ticipants at the Berlin confer- steps by the warring sides,
signed by the rival sides Moammar Gadhafi and led experts monitoring an arms ence to comply with the arms including a preliminary deal
in Libya and called on the to the oil-rich North African embargo against Libya. The embargo “and to refrain from aimed at guiding the country
parties to implement it country becoming divided, experts said in their latest re- intervening in the armed toward elections within 18
and “show the same de- with rival administrations in port that 11 companies also conflict or in the internal af- months and demilitarizing
termination in reaching a the east and west, each backed violated the arms embargo, fairs of Libya.” the contested city of Sirte.
political solution.” by fighters and militias -- and including the Wagner Group, They also agreed to exchange
various foreign powers. a private Russian security Council members called on prisoners and open up air and
The U.N.’s most powerful Tensions escalated further company that the panel said all countries “to respect and land transit across the coun-
body also welcomed Mon- when east-based forces, un- in May provided between support the implementation try’s divided territory.
day’s virtual meeting of the der commander Khalifa Hift- 800 and 1,200 mercenaries to of the ceasefire agreement”
U.N.-recognized govern- er, launched an offensive in Hifter. and reaffirmed their strong Following Friday’s cease-fire
ment and its eastern-based April 2019 trying to capture commitment to “the sover- agreement, a commercial
rivals in the Libyan Political the government-held capi- In early October, U.N. eignty, independence, terri- plane from Tripoli landed in
Dialogue Forum and looked tal, Tripoli. Hifter’s campaign Secretary-General Antonio torial integrity and national the eastern city of Benghazi
forward to an in-person collapsed in June when mili- Guterres urged world pow- unity of Libya.” — the first in 18 months.
meeting of the body that will tias backing the government, ers and others with interests
hold political talks in Tunisia with Turkish support, gained in Libya’s long-running civil
on Nov. 9. the upper hand. war to stop sending arms to
its rival governments and
Stephanie Williams, the act- Hifter is supported by the keep working toward a last-
ing U.N. envoy for Libya, United Arab Emirates, Rus- ing cease-fire, warning that
announced at the end of sia, Jordan and Egypt, while the country’s very future was
military talks in Geneva with the U.N.-supported gov- “at stake.”
the rival parties on Friday ernment in Tripoli is backed
that the cease-fire would start by the wealthy Gulf state of The Security Council press
immediately and that all for- Qatar and by Turkey, a bitter statement on Tuesday re-
eign fighters must leave the rival of Egypt and the UAE called the resolution it ad-
country within 90 days. She in a broader regional struggle opted Sept. 15 demanding
called it “a moment that will over political Islam that all countries enforce the
go down in history.” Thousands of foreign fight- widely violated arms em-