Taiwan

Taiwan to postpone purchases of US weapons

(Agencies)
Updated: 2011-05-10 21:30

TAIPEI, Taiwan -  Taiwan is postponing purchases of US-made Black Hawk helicopters and Patriot air defense systems that are part of a $6.4 billion U.S. weapons package, officials said Tuesday.

Lin Yu-fang, of the ruling Kuomintang party, said Taiwan is either delaying purchases of new items or postponing payments for existing programs because of the funding shortfall. The procurement of six Patriot missile systems has been pushed back from 2014 to 2017 and 60 Black Hawk helicopters from 2016 to 2019 or 2020, he said.

Taiwan's military spokesman Luo Shou-he denied that the postponements were caused by budget constraints and instead cited production delays by U.S. defense contractors.

Taiwan's Patriot air defense systems are being made by Lockheed Martin Corp., while Black Hawk helicopters are produced by Sikorsky Aircraft Corp.

Last year, the Obama administration notified Congress it was making $6.4 billion in weapons available to Taiwan, including missiles, Black Hawk helicopters, information distribution systems and two Osprey Class mine hunting ships.

The Chinese mainland strongly opposes American arms sales to Taiwan, seeing them as interference in its domestic affairs.