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MOFA monitors UN arms treaty developments

• Publication Date：06/13/2012
• Source： Taiwan Today
• By  Rachel Chan

The ROC Ministry of Foreign Affairs said June 12 that it is keeping a close eye on U.N. Arms Trade Treaty negotiations and how the pact may affect Washington’s ability to provide Taipei with defensive weapons.

“All of the ministry’s overseas offices have been instructed to gather information and keep abreast of ATT developments,” said Lily L.W. Hsu, director-general of the MOFA Department of International Organizations.

Hsu made the remarks amid concerns from several U.S. scholars that the treaty, which seeks to limit weapons sales to U.N. members, could hamstring the U.S. in meeting its obligations to the ROC under the Taiwan Relations Act.

In a June 8 paper, Ted R. Bromund, research fellow of the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom, and Dean Cheng, research fellow of the Heritage Foundation, argue that once becoming a treaty signatory, Washington will face difficulties honoring TRA commitments.

The authors believe the U.S. may be unable to ignore ATT controls and the wishes of signatories such as Beijing, which has long opposed arms sales to Taiwan.

David Lo, spokesman of the ROC Ministry of National Defense, called on the U.S. to continue supplying weapons to Taiwan as per the TRA so as to strengthen the island’s defense capabilities against the growing military threat posed by mainland China.

According to Lo, the U.S. is obligated to supply the ROC with defensive weapons under the TRA. Legislated in 1979 following Washington’s decision to sever formal diplomatic ties with Taipei, the TRA serves as the foundation of the U.S. security commitment to Taiwan.

The ATT was proposed by the U.N. in 2006 as a global framework for regulating trade in conventional arms sales and ensuring appropriate use. Negotiations on the treaty are scheduled for July 2-22 in New York. (JSM)

Write to Rachel Chan at ccchan@mofa.gov.tw