March 04, 2007	Sunday	Safar 14, 1428

TAIPEI (Taiwan): Taiwan is seeking to buy more than US$400 million worth of missiles and parts from the United States to bolster its air defences, prompting a strong protest from China.

The government is looking to buy 218 AMRAAM medium range air-to-air missiles and another 235 Maverick missiles, at an estimated cost of $421 million.

The purchase is aimed at modernising Taiwan’s military and enhancing its ability to counter air-to-ground threats. The missiles would be used by Taiwan’s F-16 fighters. Taiwan announced in July that it is also hoping to buy 66 F-16s from Washington.

“China is improving its military power and we treat that as a threat,” Rear Adm. Wu Chi-fang, a Defence Ministry spokesman, said on Saturday.

A statement on the proposed sale issued earlier this week said it would improve Taiwan’s security and promote “political stability, military balance and economic progress in the region.”

The deal has not been concluded, however, and it immediately prompted opposition from China, which considers Taiwan to be a part of its sovereign territory and has in the past strongly protested similar weapons sales.

The announcement of the plan comes amid heightened concerns in Taiwan that advances in China’s military, and particularly in its missile capabilities, are posing an increasing threat.—AP