Obama announces $6B arms sale to Taiwan

[Calypso 464]

Confirming a report earlier this week, President Obama notified Congress today that he will sell $6 billion in weapons to Taiwan.The sale, on hold since the end of the Bush administration, includes Black Hawk helicopters, Patriot missiles, mine-hunting ships, a submarine-design study and information technology. Congress, which approved the sale in October 2008, has 30 days to respond before the sale goes forward.

Today's announcement, posted by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, will anger Beijing, which considers the island part of the Chinese mainland. Taiwan governs itself, but it is not formally independent and is not a member of the United Nations. The United States is its biggest ally and weapons supplier.

Continue here: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/on...ale-to-taiwan/1

[Danno 1,228]

Way to go Obamer... stick it to the Nobel Crowd!

I hear ya dude!

[alienlovechild 75]

Way to go Obamer... stick it to the Nobel Crowd!

I hear ya dude!

You've got to give credit where credit is due and Obama deserves some for pushing the Taiwanese arms sale.

[Danno 1,228]

You've got to give credit where credit is due and Obama deserves some for pushing the Taiwanese arms sale.

Honest question: why do you think he did it?

[alienlovechild 75]

Honest question: why do you think he did it?

The deal was already in the pipeline and this isn't foreign aid as Taiwan pays big bucks for weapon systems. Most countries are afraid of alienating China so America is Taiwan's only real hope. Imagine losing even more jobs to lost defense contracts if we didn't supply a democratic Taiwan against a China that's made plenty of money from the U.S.

In short, this isn't controversial in the U.S. so Obama doesn't have deal with getting heat for the arms deal. He would get some heat if he had cancelled the deal.

[mawilson 2,133]

Honest question: why do you think he did it?

Because the US is obliged under law to provide Taiwan with military assistance

(1979 Taiwan Relations Act - Public Law 96-8).