Note: This event will be held at Rayburn House Office Building, Room B-338
Independence Ave. & S. Capitol Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20515

In April 2001, the Bush administration announced the release of the largest arms sales package to Taiwan in the history of bilateral relations. Among the dozen systems offered were advanced Patriot missiles, P-3 anti-submarine aircraft, and diesel-electric submarines. In the years since, efforts to fund these three systems through a single “special budget” have floundered on a combination of political opposition, bureaucratic mismanagement, and technical confusion. The special budget issue has emerged as a symbol of Taiwan’s commitment to its own defense and has overshadowed common interests in Taiwan’s democracy and security.

How committed is Taiwan to its own defense? What can the United States and Taiwan do to repair bilateral relations and advance security cooperation? What does the special budget debacle reveal about the political constraints facing deeper U.S.-Taiwan security ties? On April 5, Rep. Rob Simmons (R-Conn.), a leading Congressional authority on U.S.-Taiwan relations, and Mark A. Stokes, a former Pentagon senior country director for China and Taiwan, will discuss these and other questions at an AEI seminar.