Taiwan may end deal with Boeing

SCMP ^ | August 20, 2003 | AFP in Taipei

[FreepForever]

Taiwan yesterday threatened to scrap a 10-aircraft order that government-controlled China Airlines (CAL) had placed with Boeing after the US aircraft-maker cancelled a visit by the island's vice-president to a company plant.

Taiwan Transport Minister Lin Ling-san, who chairs a foundation which controls the carrier, said he would ask CAL to weigh the feasibility of ending the contract it awarded Boeing.

"National interest should also be taken into consideration, although the deal was commercial in nature," Mr Lin said. "What Boeing has done to Vice-President [Annette] Lu [Hsiu-lien] was really too much and impolite."

CAL said that it would "immediately handle the matter". But aviation officials doubted it could afford any loss that would stem from aborting the contract.

Mr Lin's threat came after Boeing cancelled Ms Lu's visit to the US company's plant in Seattle on Sunday, following what she claimed was pressure from the mainland.

However, Taiwanese cable television station TVBS cited a Boeing spokesman as saying Boeing had never confirmed the visit, and regretted the development.

Ms Lu flew into a rage and vented her anger while attending a dinner in Seattle on Monday.

She said she was particularly annoyed since Taiwan had last year awarded Boeing a multibillion- dollar contract. "If you want to make money, you better make friends rather than make enemies. Shame on Boeing," Ms Lu said.

Taiwan was the subject last year of intense diplomatic lobbying between the United States and Europe over whether the replacement of the CAL fleet would go to Airbus or Boeing.

CAL eventually compromised by purchasing 10 Boeing 747-400s and 12 Airbus A330-300s.

[FreepForever]

((((PING))))
Freepmail me for on and off list.

[lelio]

"If you want to make money, you better make friends rather than make enemies. Shame on Boeing," Ms Lu said.

Let's see: Tiawan orders 22 total jets split between Airbus and Boeing. How many people does China have compared to Taiwan? How many factories can China setup to turn out Boeing jets?

Boeing's making friends alright, you're just not one of them. Boeing's looking to outsourcing a lot of manufacturing to China and/or is worried that China will start up a PRC Aeroplane Company. How on earth is Boeing going to compete against that? Safety? China has a billion people it can tests its jets on.

[Libertina]

Big bully mainland China will always be mad and Taiwan is sick of being snubbed after being a good, democratic partner and supporter. Can't say I blame them.

[Yasotay]

Why should Boeing make planes in America when they can be made better ... faster ... and cheaper in China?

I did hear Bush say on Cinco de Mayo that he only wanted "gooderer" service jobs here in America.

[The Pheonix]

ping

[HighRoadToChina]

"China has a billion people it can tests its jets on."

This is the myth that has been sold for over 100 years. Communist China has a "middle class" the size of the US--not even close in terms of living standards. The rest of the population, some 80% or over 1 billion, are still living in rural conditions that haven't changed much since the days when Mao "liberated" China.

[potlatch]

Bump!

[eeman]

I applaud the Taiwanese for cancelling the order as well. Unfortunately they are in a quandary. If they truly need those 11 new planes, they will have to buy them from the Euroweasels. I certainly may be wrong but the Euroweasels are probably in bed with the PRC as much as we are. I know the Germans would not sell any diesel submsarines to Taiwan. I am certain that the Euros would eagerly snub the Taiwanese if it suited them.

This whole technology transfer thing to the PRC makes me sick. In thirty years, the PRC will be manufacturing planes just like they make microwave ovens. But if your only concern is next quarter, why worry about the future?

[ppaul]

Little Red Guards.....

[Brian Allen]

<< ..... Taiwan may end deal with Boeing ..... >>

The only aircraft with which to replace a Boeing B-747 is a Boeing B-747.

It has no competition.

Never has had -- never will have!

Too bad, though, because Boeing needs its arse kicked for insulting the FRee Republic of China, whose corporations for the most part belong to their shareholders and whose Government is the only one ever to have been elected in all of China

[GOP_1900AD]

Boeing need to be investigated vis a vis both treason vis their PRC business dealings, and, espionage via dealing with the 3000+ front companies and via their hiring, with no special background checks, a multitude of H1Bs and Resident Aliens who are PRC Citizens, some of whom might also be in good standing in the PLA and / or ErBu. Execs investigates, indicted by the DOJ and found guilty in Federal trial should be subject to the maximum penalty under the law. And since there is nothing other than unwritten convention which says said penalty is typically administered via lethal injection, then I would argue that for maximum geopolitical and behavioral modification value, said penalty ought to consist of public, world wide live televised hanging in the Capitol Mall.

[Brian Allen]

Boeing is a corporation whose Peter-Principal-strictured hierarchal structure perfectly clones that of any fascisocialistly-amoral, any-means-to-profit, organization.

It's methods and its treacheries thus take more from the criminal practices of such mobbed-up gangster thugs as Kim Il Sung, Patrick Leahey, Mao "Baby-Raper" Tze Tung, Teddy "The Bridge" Kennedy, Al Capone, "Chucky-Putzy" Schumer, Muhhumid Madhatir, The California Senate team, Peking's Jiang Gang and Alberto Goreleone than from the principles of capitalism, free enterprize and loyalty to Nation, Declaration, Constitution and Rule of Law.

In addition to those you have mentioned, its recruitment [And Microsoft's et al's] of America-loathing, pro-Soviet Indian nationals would not stand up to any objectively pro-American-interest scrutiny.

[But sadly that too is in the hands of such governmental luminaries as the mobbed-up gangster thugs as Kim Il Sung, Patrick Leahey, Mao "Baby-Raper" Tze Tung, Teddy "The Bridge" Kennedy, Al Capone, "Chucky-Putzy" Schumer, Muhhumid Madhatir, The California Senate team, Peking's Jiang Gang, Alberto Goreleone and the Junior senator from new york and peking and any place else she chooses.