Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian commissioned a batch of French-made Mirage fighter jets today but ruled out an arms race with China and urged it to renounce its threat of invasion.
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"Without a strong combat capability there can be no national security," President Chen said at a ceremony at an air force base in northern Hsinchu, home to the island's advanced Mirage 2000-5s.
"Without a strong combat capability there can be no dignity of existence and bargaining chips," President Chen said, referring to possible talks with Beijing.
China considers Taiwan a breakaway province and has threatened to invade if it declares independence.
But President Chen said he did not want an arms race with China. "I sincerely urge Communist China to abandon threats to use force and replace confrontation with dialogue," said President Chen, who has mellowed his pro-independence stand since assuming office in May last year.