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Article: Taiwan feels squeezed as China cozies up to the United States.(Originated from Knight Ridder Newspapers)
- Article from:
- Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service
- Article date:
- June 18, 1998
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1998 Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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TAICHUNG, Taiwan _ Inside an airplane hangar littered with pigeon droppings, eight vintage U.S.-made fighter jets, retired just last month after decades of service, are collecting dust. The air force, a Taiwanese colonel quipped, deserves a mention in the Guinness Book of World Records for flying the 40-year-old F-104 for so long.
Taiwan, however, has little choice but to fly obsolete jets that are nearly twice as old as their pilots. Few countries dare to sell it modern aircraft or other military equipment for fear of incurring the wrath of China.
Now that relations between China and the United States are warming, with a landmark summit between ...