From Wall Street Journal:
The White House appears increasingly unlikely to proceed with a planned $11 billion weapons sale to Taiwan, a decision that critics say could alter the strategic balance between the island and China and that could leave a thorny issue for the next U.S. president.
The weapons package — which includes antimissile systems sold by Raytheon Co. and helicopters from United Technologies Corp. and Boeing Co. — originated with an offer by U.S. President George W. Bush just months after he took office in 2001. The arms offer was the biggest for Taiwan in at least a decade, but political infighting on the island blocked allocation of funds until last December, when its legislature finally approved funding.
Since then, however, the Bush administration has yet to send formal requests to Congress that are needed for such sales, raising questions about the deal’s prospects.
