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U.S. first told Taiwan to dispose of missile parts itself, official says

TAIPEI, Taiwan — The U.S. originally asked Taiwan to dispose of missile parts it mistakenly sent to the island but then asked for them back after realizing they were sensitive, controlled items, a senior Taiwanese defense official said Wednesday.

The Pentagon said Tuesday that it sent four cone-shaped fuses for intercontinental ballistic missiles to Taiwan by mistake in August 2006 instead of helicopter batteries the island ordered. The issue has raised concerns over U.S.-China relations, since China vehemently opposes U.S. arms sales to Taiwan.

Wu Wei-rong, director-general of Taiwan’s armaments bureau, said Wednesday that the U.S. demanded the return of the fuses only after it learned of the gravity of its error.

“The U.S. recently informed us that the parts had been mistakenly sent to Taiwan, and they asked us to dispose the parts by ourselves,” Wu said. “The U.S. then realized the parts were sensitive, controlled items which Taiwan could not deal with, and soon the parts were returned.”

The fuses were manufactured for use on a Minuteman strategic nuclear missile and are linked to the triggering mechanism in the nose cone, but they contain no nuclear materials.

Wu’s comments are likely to add to the considerable embarrassment the U.S. already feels over the parts mix-up. Only after months of discussions with Taiwan did the Pentagon finally realize — late last week — the magnitude of what had happened.

Taiwan, which split from China amid civil war in 1949, is the most sensitive issue in U.S.-China relations. Beijing claims Taiwan as its own and has threatened to attack should the self-governing island make its de facto independence formal. Washington has hinted that it would go to war to protect Taiwan.

While Washington switched its recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979, it remains the island’s most important foreign backer, providing it with the means to defend itself against a possible Chinese attack.