Fighters For Taiwan

Lobbyists for Taiwan are claiming that allowing the island to import F-16 fighter aircraft would have a "positive impact" on U.S. jobs, noting Lockheed Martin announced last week that 1,500 workers would be laid off from its aeronautics division.

U.S.-Taiwan Business Council President Rupert Hammond-Chambers said in a statement released today:

The recent Perryman Report shows that the follow-on sale of F-16s to Taiwan would have a positive economic impact around the country, generating some US$8.7 billion in gross output and sustaining approximately 16,000 direct and indirect jobs over the life of the program. That would represent a significant economic boost to states such as Ohio and Florida -- where unemployment stands at 8.6 percent and 10.6 percent, respectively. Reports estimate that 1,800 workers in Ohio and 1,900 in Florida depend on an F-16 sale to Taiwan. Should the Taiwan sale fail to materialize, however, current orders would only sustain the F-16 production line for another two years.