The comments were the first direct response from the Taiwanese president following media reports last month that the U.S. had suspended weapons sales to the island to avoid the ire of Beijing.
Among the items at issue are F-16 jet fighters, Patriot III anti-missile missiles and Apache helicopters.
In comments to Taiwanese reporters on the arms issue, Ma said that improving relations with China, including the start of the first weekend direct flights in almost 60 years, were no reason for Taiwan to let down its defenses against its communist rival.
"Our stance will definitely not change just because we have improved relations with the mainland," he said.
If we're doing this as a favor to China or because China gave us something in return, unless China invades Taiwan in the near term this suspension will not prevent Taiwan from defending themselves.
If Taiwan can't get conventional arms from America, Taiwan will go nuclear. One way or another, Taiwan will get the arms they need to defend themselves. But in the short run, Taiwan will have neither conventional nor nuclear arms. Is this important to China? And how long is the suspension of arms sales? Indefinite or just through the Olympics? If the latter, it is all just symbolic and an insignificant additional delay given past KMT interference with arms purchases over the last seven years.
The whole situation is just odd. I'm not sure what to make of it.
