Why The U.S. Should Not Sell Advance Weaponry To Taiwan

Taiwan Is Losing the Spying Game -- J. Michael Cole, Wall Street Journal

If President Ma Ying-jeou doesn't clean house in his military, the U.S. won't sell advanced weapons.

Much ink has been spilled in recent months over the Obama administration's reluctance to sell Taiwan the 66 F-16C/D fighters it has been requesting since 2007. A final decision is expected by Oct. 2, and while many observers predict that political considerations will lead Washington to nix the deal, another factor may be at work: the penetration of almost every sector of Taiwanese society by Chinese intelligence. For the U.S. government and defense manufacturers, any arms sale to Taiwan carries the risk that sensitive military technology will end up in Beijing.

This worry is not new. Anyone who has followed developments in Taiwan over the years knows how deeply Chinese forces have infiltrated Taiwan's military, especially its senior officers. For years American officials have looked on in amazement as newly retired Taiwanese generals traveled to China for a round of golf, were wined and dined by their counterparts in the People's Liberation Army, and no doubt had their inebriated brains picked for information.

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My Comment: There is some validity in J. Michael Cole's concerns on Taiwan's ability to keep military secrets from falling into the hands of China. Even the Taiwan government is aware of this problem. When even your top generals are being arrested for espionage .... you know that you have a credibility problem to foreign military supplies like the U.S.