House panel wants US to supply new F-16s to Taiwan

[The Straight Story]

House panel wants US to supply new F-16s to Taiwan

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A House committee endorsed legislation Thursday requiring the United States to supply new F-16 fighter planes to Taiwan and deepen ties with an island nation that lawmakers said faces a military threat from China.

President Barack Obama in September approved upgrades to Taiwan's existing fleet of American-built F-16s but did not permit sales of new planes that Taiwan has sought since 2006.

The United States is required under 1979 legislation to supply Taiwan with weapons for its self-defense. The administration has sought to meet that requirement without derailing its efforts to improve relations with China, which regards Taiwan as a renegade province.

GOP Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, who heads the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said Obama's decision was "regrettable and shortsighted." She urged him to approve sales of F-16 C/D fighters and diesel submarines to help Taiwan "meet the growing menace of communist China."

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