[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16979]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     SUPPORTING ARMS SALE TO TAIWAN

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                           HON. PETE SESSIONS

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 28, 2010

  Mr. SESSIONS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to express my strong 
support for strengthening the bilateral relationship the United States 
has with Taiwan. Taiwan is an important ally and trading partner, and 
we must continue to support its defense.
   Taiwan faces a continuous threat from the People's Republic of 
China, PRC, and must be capable of defending itself in the event of an 
attack. Section 2(b)(4) of the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, which is the 
cornerstone of United States-Taiwan relations, declares that it is the 
policy of the United States ``to consider any effort to determine the 
future of Taiwan by other than peaceful means, including by boycotts or 
embargoes, a threat to the peace and security of the Western Pacific 
area and of grave concern to the United States.'' Section 3(b) of the 
Act stipulates that both the President and Congress shall determine the 
nature and quantity of defense articles and services that Taiwan needs.
   On January 29, 2010 the Obama Administration announced to Congress a 
planned arms package to Taiwan totaling $6.4 billion. The package 
included 114 Patriot PAC-3 missiles, 60 Black Hawk helicopters, 12 
Harpoon missiles for training purposes, two Osprey class refurbished 
mine hunters, and military communication equipment. This package was 
extremely significant and will help ensure the security of the Taiwan 
Strait. However, this package did not include the 66 F-16 fighter 
aircrafts, which were requested by Taiwan in 2006. I request that the 
Obama Administration give full, prompt, and fair consideration to 
Taiwan's request for the F-16 fighter aircrafts.

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