U.S. Will Not Sell F-16s to Taiwan
I’m sure this will piss off some of my readers, but to me, this is good news. It also suggests that the Obama administration knows how to prioritize on the foreign policy front.
The U.S. government has declined to make a long-awaited sale of F-16 fighter jets to Taiwan for fear of upsetting China, Taiwan’s parliament speaker said on Tuesday.
The White House blocked the $4.9 billion deal for 66 advanced F-16s last year and there was little hope of it being revived this year, said Wang Jin-pyng.
“The U.S. doesn’t want to give them to us,” Wang told Reuters in an interview.
“They wouldn’t name a price. It’s mainly because mainland China would oppose the sale.” [Reuters]
FYI — for anyone wishing to write an incendiary comment on this issue, watch your language.
Leaving Taiwan vulnerable to attack is not an example of prioritizing. I don’t think the US will benefit from the repercussions of this decision, and neither will the Japan, Korea or the many Asian countries making claims in the South China Sea.