WASHINGTON — President Clinton's decision to shelve Taiwan's request to buy four billion-dollar U.S. destroyers is likely to touch off a fight with Congress, where support for the island is strong.
The Senate Republican leader, Sen. Trent Lott of Mississippi, is expected to call for a vote on an arms package for Taiwan, and the White House already is warning that could lead to a Clinton veto if Lott gets enough votes to pass it.
At issue is how much the United States is willing to do to protect Taiwan from mainland China and thereby antagonize the Communist leaders in Beijing.
Another powerful Republican senator, Jesse Helms of North Carolina, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Monday the Pentagon, which had advised Clinton against the sale, decided "to sacrifice Taiwan's security in order to appease the dictators in Beijing."
Clinton on Monday decided against the sale of four Aegis destroyers to Taiwan but approved a smaller package including long-range radar designed to detect missile launches, two senior U.S. officials said.
Clinton, traveling in the West, acted on the recommendation of top advisers who met earlier in the day at the White House and also of Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who was traveling in Uzbekistan, the officials said.
The Pentagon recommended that the administration put off Taiwan's request to buy new weapons, including the destroyers, submarines and anti-submarine aircraft, in order to avoid angering China, which views Taiwan as a rebellious province.
Beijing bitterly resents the U.S. military relationship with Taiwan. Diplomatically, the United States deals with Taiwan carefully, avoiding any suggestion it is promoting independence for the island.
In Taipei, Taiwan's military spokesman, Kung Fan-ding, said Taiwan wants "to acquire any weapons that would help build up its anti-missile defense." He declined to comment specifically on the U.S. weapons sale until there was an official announcement.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry in Beijing had no comment.
Besides the long-range radar, known as PAVE PAWS, the weapons package approved by the president will include new missiles, training and help in integrating $18 billion worth of weapons already sold to Taiwan, one of the officials told The Associated Press, insisting on anonymity.
He called it a robust package and said Clinton had deferred sale of the destroyers and other items, not permanently canceled the deals.
Helms reacted angrily.
"There is, quite simply, no military justification to deny Taiwan these crucial defensive items. These denials are driven by knee-jerk appeasement on the part of the White House and State Department," he said in a statement.
A showdown between the White House and Congress could develop over legislation backed by Taiwan supporters to strengthen U.S.-Taiwanese military ties.
"The politicized handling of Taiwan's defense request — and the utter failure of this administration to consult with Congress — is a clear demonstration why the Taiwan Security Enhancement Act is so urgently needed," Helms continued.
Administration officials have said they would recommend a presidential veto if Congress tries to force the sale of arms to Taiwan.
An aggressive Taiwanese lobbying effort sought to persuade the administration to sell the Aegis warships, with price tags of $1 billion apiece, to Taiwan.
For years, analysts have said Taiwan's military, with its highly motivated troops and advanced U.S.-made weapons, could repel or at least bloody any People's Liberation Army force if China made good repeated threats to attack the island.
Lately, however, some military analysts have began doubting the Taiwanese war readiness.