Despite China, Sale to Taiwan Said to Be On

A U.S. defense official brushed aside China’s demand that Washington scrap sale of the Avenger antiaircraft missile system to Taiwan. When asked if the sale was still at a stage at which it could be canceled, Defense Department spokesman Ken Bacon said, “I don’t think cancellation is anything we are thinking about.” China had demanded earlier in the day that the sale be canceled, saying it violated communiques governing Sino-U.S. relations on Taiwan. But Bacon said sale of the Avenger missile system and the Stinger missiles that go with it was approved in 1993.