Arms sales to Taiwan and a mission to Peking
The confrontation between the U.S. and the Soviet Union over Poland has potential global consequences. Indeed the crisis has provided a subtle opening to settle one of the prickliest problems the U.S. faces in its complex dealings with China—the sale of arms to Taiwan.
President Reagan looked favorably on Taiwan's request last spring to buy a new generation of advanced American fighter jets, despite warnings from the State Department that such a sale would threaten the delicate normalization of relations with China. As a result of the Polish crisis, however, the U.S. is sending a top-level delegation to Peking. TIME has learned that its mission is to inform the Chinese that the U.S. has decided to refrain from selling Taiwan any fighter jets more advanced or sophisticated than the F-5Es it currently has. At the same time, the U.S. will urge the Chinese to end their deafening silence about Soviet involvement in the Polish crackdown. State Department officials involved with the trip insist that there is no formal quid pro quo. But some observers found it hard to believe that the two items on the mission's agenda were not integrally linked.
In fact, a memorandum to the President spelling out the purpose of the mission was signed by Secretary of State Alexander Haig, Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger and CIA Director William Casey and supported by General David Jones, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Taiwan's current defense needs, they agreed, could be adequately served by additional sales of the F-5E fighter jet it now uses, rather than the new, more powerful F-5G it has been seeking.* The Poland crisis, and the desire for Peking's cooperation in the anti-Soviet propaganda drive, provided an opportunity for these advisers to convince the President that he should deny Taiwan's request for the more sophisticated plane. To placate Taiwan's supporters, conspicuously Reagan himself, the memo also suggested selling Harpoon missiles and rescue helicopters to the Taipei government. Reagan approved the mission last Thursday at a meeting of his top national security advisers. The major proponent of selling advanced jets to Taiwan, Richard Allen, was no longer sitting in the National Security Adviser's chair to offer objections. On Saturday, a delegation headed by Assistant Secretary of State John Holdridge and Deputy Director of the Bureau of Politico-Military Affairs Robert Blackwill was scheduled to leave for Peking.