TheJfree lhina Journal - Vol.IX No.66 - US denies F-16 sale violates communique

Oct 13, 2026

September 8, 1992 issue of TheJfree lhina Journal reports U.S. arguments defending the sale of 150 F-16 fighters to the Republic of China on Taiwan. A State Department spokesman says the transfers do not violate the 1982 Washington-Peking joint communique, while Peking’s New China News Agency denounces the move as sovereignty infringement. The article covers White House response, cross-Straits media exchanges, and a separate update on Mandarin Air’s ROC-Vietnam route development.

LanguageEnglish

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Pages9

Reading Time14 min

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US denies F-16 sale violates communique

Mainland reporters tour Taiwan

Mandarin Air opens ROC-Viet skyway

Bu&Rae U.S.Postage PAID San Gabnal,CA Permia No.107 TheJfree lhina Journal 44507259 SERTALSACQUISITION DEFT. LINTVERSITY MICROFILMS INT"L AL # BLIC OF CHINA ON TAIWAN September 8,1992 Vol.IX No.66 300N.ZEEB ROADANN ARBOR,MT 48106 # US denies F-16 saleviolates communique ing the U.S.president of “ex-cuses and lies”to justify thesale of the F-16s,and threaten-ing a“serious retrogression”in relations. By Tammy C.Peng Staff Writer The United States'sale ofF-16 fighters to the Republic ofChina on Taiwan provides se-curity for the island and doesnot violate the Washington-Peking joint communique of1982,said a U.S.State Depart-ment spokesman. Washington's insistence onselling sophisticated weapons toTaiwan “is a direct infringementupon [Communist]China'ssovereignty and a gross interfer-ence in China's internal affairs,"said a Sept.3 commentary fromPeking's official New ChinaNews Agency. Joe Synder on Sept.3 saidWashington makes“a sharpdistinction between those armstransfers which meet legiti-mate defense needs and con-tribute to the stability of a par-ticular region,and those thatdo not." White House SpokesmanMarlin Fitzwater acknowl-edged Peking's protest andsaid,“We knew that theywould not be happy." Synder's comments weremade in response to ChineseCommunist protests bver U.S.President George Bush's ap-proval of the sale of 150 F-i6fighter planes to Taiwan. He said,however,that“Wecontinue to believe that the de-cision fo sell F-16s to Taiwan isa good one and a reasonableone in light of our military ob-jectives and in light of theirneed for peace and stability inthe region." Mainland reporters wave to the crowd while posing with their Taiwan hosts upon arrival at the airport. Historic visit This marked the first timein more than a decade that therestrictions on Americanarms sales to Taiwan hadbeen over-ruled. ## Mainland reporters tour Taiwan Bush's approval of the salewas greeted with joy in Taipei.The decision lifted for all practi-cal purposes a decade-long U.S.ban on the sale of sophisticatedarms to Taiwan. depth reporting during this trip. ficials in informal settings,in-cluding a welcoming banquetarranged by the Straits Ex-change Foundation. According to the Aug.17,1982,joint communique,theU.S.would gradually reducearms sales to Taiwan,and even-tually phase them out altogether. By Tammy C.Peng The mainland reporters arenot scheduled to meet with anyofficials of the Republic ofChina government,but suchagencies as the Cabinet'sMainland Affairs Council haveindicated that visits would notbe unwelcome. Staff Writer The arrival in Taiwan of 18 It is also likely to open thedoor for the sale of more ad-vanced weapon systems to theisland.There is a perceivedneed in Taiwan for betterweapons to deter aggressionfrom across the Straits. mainland China media members Before their departure onSept.12,the visiting mainlandreporters will have touredChanghua,Hualien,the Sci-ence-Based Industrial Park inHsinchu,the National PalaceMuseum,the China ExternalTrade and Development Coun-cil,an elementary school andvarious private establishmentsin Taipei. has turned a new page in the his-tory of cross-Straits exchanges. Acting U.S.Secretary ofState Lawrence Eagleburgeralso defended Bush's decision,saying that the F-16s wouldonly be for defensive pur-poses.Taiwan's air force con-sists mostly of aging F-5 andF-104 fighter planes,and newacquisitions would merelybring the island's air forceback up to its 1980 level of ca-pability,Eagleburger said. It is the largest group ofmainland reporters to ever set foot on the island. Chai said the mainlandre-porters did not intend to coverpolitics during this particulartrip."Our focus is the society ofTaiwan,inc!uding the cultural,economic and technological as-pects,"he said."The politicalstuff we can write in Peking,”he added. McDonnell Douglas Corp.of the U.S.has reportedly saidthat it would like to offer a ver-sion of its FIA-18 mu

FAQs

Why did the U.S. deny that the F-16 sale violated the 1982 communique?

A U.S. State Department spokesman said the F-16 sale to Taiwan provides security for the island and does not violate the 1982 Washington-Peking joint communique.

How did Peking respond to Bush’s approval of the F-16 sale?

Peking’s official New China News Agency criticized the sale as a direct infringement on China’s sovereignty and interference in internal affairs.

What did the mainland reporters plan to focus on during their Taiwan visit?

A visiting reporter said the focus was society in Taiwan, including cultural, economic, and technological aspects, rather than covering politics in that trip.

Oct 13, 2026

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