Reagan denies island has been jettisoned

Press, 19 August 1982, Page 9

Reagan denies island has been jettisoned

NZPA Washington President Ronald Reagan has emphasised that his Ad-, ministration has not abandoned the government on Taiwan.

Washington and Peking on Wednesday evening issued a joint communique in which the United States agreed to reduce arms sales to Taiwan gradually in return for China’s commitment to seek a peaceful reunification with the island.

But after congressmen and news reports attacked Mr Reagan for changing his position on Taiwan, he telephoned an American television network to emphasise that the United States would uphold its "moral obligation” to Taiwan.

Mr Reagan, who promised when he ran for office to stand by Taiwan, which has long been a United States ally, told Dan Rather, of C.B.S. News: "There has been no retreat by me, no change whatsoever

... I am concerned about the possible harm these reports may do- to our international relations. We will continue to arm Taiwan and will obey the Taiwan Act." The White House • confirmed that he had felt compelled to complain about the C.B.S. coverage of his decision to limit arms sales to Taiwan.

The communique represented a big step in repairing United States-Chinese relations, which had deteriorated over Peking's objections to the weapons sales. China views Taiwan as a province and considers the sales an interference in its internal affairs.

Although the Reagan Administration yielded to some of China’s pressures, it rejected Peking's demands for. a deadline for the cut-off of

arms sales and extracted a commitment that Peking would pursue peaceful efforts to reunite with Taiwan. The President said that arms sales now planned would continue in accordance with the Taiwan Relations Act, 1979. to regulate informal United StatesTaiwanese ties. The Administration also planned to soften the blow to conservatives and to the Taiwanese by submitting formal notification to Congress later this week of its intention to allow Taiwan to co-produce American Tiger II jet fighters.. But the communique said that the United States did not seek to implement a longterm policy of arms sales to Taiwan, and that such sales would not exceed, either quantitatively or qualitatively. those supplied since 1979.

The agreement has aroused bitter criticism from Congressmen who said it violated the Taiwan Relations Act.

Senator John Glenn, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, said the president previously had guaranteed he would support the provisions of the act. “We apparently have given in,” he said.

Senator Barry Goldwater, one of Taiwan's strongest supporters in Congress, said the communique ignored the requirement of the law. “Under the act, if her (Taiwan’s) needs increase, the quality of sales shall incresae," he said, adding that the agreement also violated a provision stating Congress, as well as the President, shall determine what arms Taiwan needs.

Taiwan yesterday deplored the decision and said that Washington had mistaken

Peking’s peace offers to Taiwan as sincere and meaningful. Describing Peking's peace offers as "traditional, inveterate tricks." the Nationalist Foreign Ministry said: "The Chinese Communists are exerting all efforts to isolate the Republic of China (Taiwan)."

"They are seeking all possible means to interrupt and discontinue United States arms sales to the Republic of China, trying to pave the way for the military invasion of this country."

Taiwan has rejected several peace offers from Peking, dismissing them as mere Communist propaganda. President Chiang Ching Kuo has repeatedly said that Taiwan would never make any compromise with Peking unless it renounces Communism.

Military leaders here have stressed the importance of obtaining sophisticated weapons, including high-per-formance FX fighters, 'to keep up with the Chinese and to maintain the balance of power on both sides of the Taiwan straits. Just minutes after the announcement Peking issued a stern warning that the dispute was far from definitively settled. An editorial in the “People’s Daily,” carried by the official New China News Agency, urged Washington to end the sales “as soon as possible" and threatened to downgrade links over anottier sticking point — the Taiwan Relations Act.

The “People's Daily" cited it as “the fundamental obstacle in the way of the development of Sino-United States relations.”