Taiwan's new top U.S. diplomat unaware of arms sale freeze

By Faith Hung

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan's top new diplomat to the United States said on Friday he is unaware of any U.S. freeze on arms sales to the island, despite conflicting media reports on the subject over the last two weeks.

The United States is Taiwan's top arms supplier, insisting the island needs to deter any potential attack from political archrival China, which considers Taiwan part of its territory and has threatened to take it back by force if necessary.

Recent reports in local and international media cited a top U.S. military official as saying the United States has instituted a freeze on new arms sales to Taiwan.

"There is no such word of a 'freeze' used by the Bush administration," said Jason Yuan, the new representative to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States, which acts as Taiwan's de facto embassy.

"No one, particularly those in charge of the issue, told me they are going to freeze any arms sale," he told a news conference, adding he is confident a new arms sale will be approved shortly after he assumes his new position on August 4.

His remarks come two weeks after the head of the U.S. Pacific Command, Adm. Timothy Keating, was quoted as saying the United States has frozen new arms sales to Taiwan.

Keating said U.S. policymakers see no pressing need to sell advanced arms to Taiwan now.

A U.S. state department spokesman later appeared to backtrack on the matter, saying the U.S. position on arms sales to Taiwan has not changed.

Such sales usually draw a strong protest from Beijing, and some believe such a freeze could be designed to win China's cooperation from China in dealing with global issues like North Korea's denuclearization.

Taiwan's military currently procures only around 30 percent of its equipment domestically, with the remainder sourced largely from the United States.

In particular, Taiwan has been waiting for the United States to reconsider a $400 million purchase proposal to buy 66 F-16 fighter jets.

Separately, Yuan confirmed recent reports that Taiwan's new President Ma Ying-jeou plans to make transit stops in Los Angeles and San Francisco on his way to Paraguay and the Dominican Republic in mid-August during his first international trip since taking office.

But Yuan added the final itinerary has yet to be confirmed as the plans are only "in principle" right now.

(Reporting by Faith Hung; Editing by Doug Young and Bill Tarrant)