Arms Sales -- U.S. should stand up to China's threats 

by  Grace Tseng, New Berlin, Wisconsin

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, The Morning Mail

I firmly believe that the United States should stand up to China and sell defensive military hardware and software to Taiwan. The island nation has a legitimate right to protect its 23 million people, its hard-fought democracy and its prosperity.

It is a well known fact that China has massed more than 300 short-range missiles across the Taiwan Strait intended to intimidate or attack Taiwan. As a leader of democracy in the world, the U.S. has a moral obligation to safeguard that the Taiwan Strait conflict is resolved peacefully and in a way acceptable to the people of democratic Taiwan.

In order to prevent a war that can seriously damage U.S. credibility and security interests in that region, we should help Taiwan build a strong self-defense to serve as a deterrent to China's military aggression.

China's missile buildup provides the basis to sell Taiwan the missile defense systems, warships and Aegis-equipped guided missile ships. If China removed those peace-threatening missiles, there would be no need for Taiwan to seek those arms purchases that China objects to so strenuously.