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up to strengthen protection for Taiwanese fishermen against piracy
in the Taiwan strait, and to counter smuggling. It is conceivable that coastguard vessels might become involved in policing the flow of illegal immigrants from the mainland.
Argument
5. In general, we have approved the export of "dual use" equipment destined for non-military users in Taiwan such as the police,
customs and coastguard. In all cases an end-user certificate has
been required stating that the equipment will not be made available
to the Taiwan military; in particularly sensitive cases we have
stipulated that, for instance, no armament should be fitted to
internal security vehicles, and that military-type sensors should
not be fitted to remotely-controlled surveillance aircraft.
Appendix A gives examples of equipment that we have approved for
promotion and supply to the Taiwan coastguard. We have not
previously received applications to export patrol boats for
coastguard use.
•
6. We would not permit the export of any of this equipment where
the end-user was to be the Taiwan navy Previous attempts by eg
France and Holland to sell warships to Taiwan attracted intense PRC
hostility. These boats, however, are intended for coastal policing
duties by the coastguard, which is not part of the navy. We have
approved the sale of land-based vehicles to the police for internal security purposes (although we have specified that they should not
be armed); and we have approved the sale
have approved the sale of other equipment to the Taiwan coastguard. Patrol boats are not strictly analogous, since
there can be no sharp dividing line between coastal policing and
coastal defence. The PRC is specifically concerned about equipment which would enable Taiwan to defend itself against attack by the
PRC. It is unlikely that they would regard armed coastal patrol
boats as militarily insignificant, even if operated by a civilian agency. Even so, there is a strong case in saying that there is a self-evident need for such equipment, and on both sides of the Taiwan strait, for the stated purpose. Although I do not believe we
should approve direct sales of patrol boats to the Taiwan coastguard
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/we