TAIPEI: The United States has told Taiwan that Taipei must be self-reliant when it comes to its national defence as it will take at least two weeks for US support to reach Taiwan if China attacks, media reported on Thursday.

Pentagon officials made the warning to a visiting Taiwan parliament delegation on Wednesday, Taiwan radio and major newspapers said on Thursday.

The delegation briefed US-based Taiwan media on their meeting with Pentagon officials at a news conference in Washington D.C.

“The two-week delay is because the US must go through its own procedure, including military deployment,” lawmaker Sun Ta-chien told the news conference.

“The message is to let the Taiwan government and parliament know that in case of military conflict in the Taiwan Strait, Taiwan should be prepared to handle it on its own, and not think that the US Big Brother will come and help Taiwan,” China Times quoted Sun as saying.

The Taiwan delegation is led by Parliament Speaker Wang Jin-ping and consists of the parliament’s National Defence Committee members.

It met with senior US defence officials at the Pentagon, including Assistant Defence Secretary for International Security Affairs Peter Rodman and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for Asian & Pacific Affairs Richard Lawless.

According to Wang, the US officials re-affirmed US commitment to Taiwan but expressed increased concern about China’s military threat towards Taiwan.

“They warned that between 2005 and 2008, China’s military modernization will reach such a stage that there will be certain changes in the military situation in the Taiwan Strait,” the United Daily News quoted Wang as saying. In their discussion of Taiwan’s weapons shopping list, US defence officials mentioned three priorities — PAC-3 anti-missile defence system, advanced long-range early-warning radars and the so- called C4ISR capabilities which are command, control, communication, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

US President George W. Bush approved an arms sale package to Taiwan in April 2001, including eight diesel submarines. But since the US has not produced diesel subs for 50 years, the US must find sources to design and build the subs.

Germany and the Netherlands have rejected the notion of making the subs for Taiwan because they have diplomatic ties with China, which sees Taiwan as its breakaway province.

Taiwan only has four outdated subs to patrol the 120-kilometre Taiwan Strait.

The US was Taiwan’s long-time ally. When it dropped Taiwan to recognize China in 1979, it signed the Taiwan Relations Act pledging to maintain cultural and trade ties with Taiwan and continue to sell defensive arms to Taiwan.

China, calling US sales an obstacle in China’s reunification with Taiwan, has repeatedly demanded the US reduce and eventually end arms sales to Taiwan.—dpa