136 U.S. congressmen call for sale of F-16 C/D fighter jets to Taiwan

In a joint letter sent to U.S. President Barack Obama Friday, 136 members of the House of Representatives called on the U.S. administration to seriously deal with Taiwan's self-defense by selling it F-16 C/D fighter jets.Initiated by Shelley Berkley, Gerald Connolly, Lincoln Diaz-Balart and Phil Gingrey, the co-chairmen of the Taiwan Caucus, a congressional group friendly to Taiwan, the letter urged the Obama government to come to a decision on the arms deal as soon as possible.

The U.S. government, in its latest US$6.4-billion arms package to Taiwan announced in January, excluded the F-16 C/Ds, which the congressmen said Taiwan desperately needs.Taiwan's air defense capability has been declining because of the aging of its fleet and China's deployment of 1,300 short- and medium- missiles targeted at Taiwan, the letter said, necessitating the sale.........................Read More

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