Taiwanese minister outlines principles for arms procurement.

(From BBC Monitoring International Reports)

Central News Agency web site

Taipei, 9 March: Defence Minister Tang Yiau-min has reaffirmed the military's commitment to giving priority to domestic suppliers in arms procurement.

"The military will turn to foreign defence contractors for acquiring weaponry systems or military equipment only when they are not available at home," Tang says in a report to be delivered to the Legislative Yuan's defence committee Monday [10 March]. "Any weapon or military equipment that local companies can produce, the military would never purchase the item from abroad." Tang's report, which was made available to the press …