-Caveat Lector- Countries don't really care about apologies and such. These are used as a framework for serious deal making in the public sphere. You can bet that what's below is not all of it. China really wants the next Olympic Games. The US threatened to scuttle that possibility. I would bet a nickel that China was promised no interference by this administration. Nurev ================================ Monday April 23 6:05 PM ET Bush Turns Down Aegis Sale to Taiwan for Now By Randall Mikkelsen WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush turned down for now a decision on whether to sell Taiwan the sophisticated Aegis naval defense system to Taiwan, deciding on Monday to sell less advanced weapons, a congressional source said. The president would sell Kidd class naval destroyers rather than Arleigh Burke class destroyers that could be fitted with the Aegis system staunchly opposed by China, a congressional aide said. The aide said he learned of Bush's decision from the administration. The president had decided to ``defer a decision on the Aegis, not deny it,'' he said. China has also opposed any Kidd sale, but is known to be most concerned about the Aegis system, which it fears could eventually put Taiwan under a U.S. missile defense shield. The decision effectively keeps the Aegis system as a bargaining chip in U.S.-China relations, which have been strained by a dispute over the collision of a U.S. spy plane and Chinese fighter jet. The United States will also sell Taiwan 12 P-3 ``Orion'' anti-submarine aircraft and help it to buy eight diesel submarines, the source said. The White House declined immediate comment on the source's disclosure. White House spokesman Ari Fleischer had said earlier a Taiwanese delegation would be notified on Tuesday during a visit to the Pentagon. Strains in the U.S.-China relationship, heightened by a dispute over the recent collision of a U.S. spy plane and a Chinese jet fighter, have given Taiwan's annual arms shopping list increased significance this year. China views Taiwan as a breakaway province, and has said any advanced weapons sales to Taiwan would have a ``devastating impact'' on U.S.-China relations. Taiwan had asked for four $1 billion Arleigh Burke Class destroyers equipped with Aegis defense systems designed to detect and attack dozens of missiles, aircraft and ships at once. Administration security officials had recommended that Washington instead sell the older and less-sophisticated Kidd Class destroyers to Taipei instead of the Arleigh Burkes, though China has also opposed sales of the Kidd destroyers. Also on Taiwan's shopping list were the diesel-electric submarines of German or Dutch design with U.S. technology, an advanced Patriot antimissile defense known as PAC-3, and the P-3 maritime search and anti-submarine aircraft. Experts say Bush may warn China that it must stop stationing missiles along its coastline targeted across the South China Sea at Taiwan. China objects to the sale of these weapons under a U.S. law that requires presidents to provide for Taiwan's legitimate defensive needs even though Washington recognizes Beijing as the sole legitimate government of China. Chinese officials will not be told of Bush's decision before it is announced to Taiwan, U.S. National Security Council spokeswoman Mary Ellen Countryman said. Due to China's opposition, decisions on U.S. arms sales to Taiwan are almost always politically sensitive. But Bush's decision is even more touchy following the April 1 collision of a U.S. Navy EP-3 reconnaissance plane and a Chinese fighter off China. The fighter crashed, killing the pilot. The crippled four-engine U.S. plane landed at a Chinese base and China held the 24-member crew for 11 days. Beijing has refused to return the aircraft, a move that has hardened the views of some members of the U.S. Congress on accelerating the modernization of Taiwan's military. The United States said talks in Beijing over the damaged $80 million EP-3 were productive but that further discussions would be conducted on whether, when and how the plane might be returned. Chinese Embassy spokesman Zhang Yuanyuan said last week U.S.-China relations would be damaged if Washington decided to sell any advanced weapons to Taiwan. This did not just apply to the Arleigh Burkes, but to other less sophisticated weaponry. The disputes, coinciding with stepped-up U.S. criticism of China's human rights record, have contributed to a rocky start for Bush in his relations with the Communist giant. ===== <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. 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