The U.S. agency that oversees foreign military sales has formally notified Congress that the Obama administration plans to upgrade Taiwan's existing fleet of F-16 A/B fighter jets, a move that provoked a sharp response from U.S. lawmakers who prefer to sell new fighters to Taiwan.

　　美国负责监管对外军售的机构国防安全合作局(Defense Security Cooperation Agency）已经正式通知国会，奥巴马政府计划为台湾现有的F-16 A/B战机升级。这一举动激起了希望对台出售新战机的美国议员的强烈反应。

　　The Defense Security Cooperation Agency said it has formally notified Congress of plans to retrofit Taiwan's F-16s and equip them with an advanced radar system.

　　国防安全合作局说已经正式将为台湾F-16战机更新并配备高级雷达系统的计划通知国会。

　　The proposed arms sale, the agency said, would support Taiwan's "continuing efforts to modernize its armed forces and enhance its defensive capability." The decision was announced in a statement on the agency's web site.

　　Associated Press在2007年9月的一次航展上，一组F-16机群飞过台北松山机场上空。国防安全合作局说，拟定的军售计划将会支持台湾继续促进其武装力量现代化并增强防御能力的持续努力。该决定是在国防安全合作局网站上的一份声明中公布的。

　　The notification sets in motion a deal worth a potential $5.3 billion to upgrade 145 Taiwanese F-16s. The package also includes an array of weaponry, including Joint Direct Attack Munition smart bomb kits, targeting systems and air-to-air missiles.

　　通知推动了为台湾145架F-16战机升级的交易，价值可能为53亿美元。升级方案还包括一系列武器，包括联合直接攻击（Joint Direct Attack Munition）智能炸弹装备、目标定位系统和空对空导弹。

　　Separately, the agency notified Congress of a proposal to train Taiwanese fighter pilots in the United States, a package worth a potential $500 million.

　　另外，国防安全合作局还通知国会一项在美国培训台湾战斗机飞行员的提案，规模可能为5亿美元。

　　The announcement follows weeks of speculation that the Obama administration would propose such an upgrade package for Taiwan's air force, instead of selling brand-new F-16 C/D aircraft originally sought by Taipei.

　　国防安全合作局公布之前，外界几周来一直猜测奥巴马政府是否会提出对台湾空军进行升级的方案，而非如台湾所愿向其出售全新的F-16 C/D战机。

　　U.S. lawmakers have expressed concern that the upgrade package would not be adequate for modernizing Taiwan's air defenses and fear that the military balance across the Taiwan Straits has tipped too far in China's favor.

　　美国议员表示担心升级方案不足以实现台湾空军防御的现代化，并担心台湾海峡的军力平衡太过倒向大陆一边。

　　Rupert Hammond-Chambers, president of the U.S.-Taiwan Business Council, said in a statement the upgrade program could lead to a shortfall in Taiwan's fighter strength.

　　美台商业协会(U.S.-Taiwan Business Council)会长韩伯儒（Rupert Hammond-Chambers）在一份声明中说，升级计划可能会导致台湾战机的力量不足。

　　"The upgrade program is comprehensive, but spans almost 10 years with the first upgraded A/B coming as late as the 6th year of the program," he said. "If the Obama Administration were to accept a letter of request for 66 F-16 C/Ds now, the entire tranche of new fighters could be delivered before Taiwan receives any of its upgraded F-16 A/Bs."

　　他说，升级计划是综合性的，但却跨越了近十年时间，第一批升级后的A/B战机要到第六年才会交货；如果奥巴马政府现在就接受购买66架F-16 C/D战机的申请，那么台湾在升级F-16 A/B战机交货前就能获得所有的新战机了。

　　U.S. arms sales to Taiwan are a sensitive point in U.S.-China relations, but several Chinese experts on Taiwan and China-U.S. relations have predicted that Beijing's response will be more measured than last year, when another U.S. arms package for Taiwan prompted it to cut off military dialogue with Washington for 12 months.

　　美国对台军售是中美关系中的敏感点，但台湾和中美关系方面的几位中国专家预计，中国政府的回应会比去年更为慎重。去年美国对台军售导致中美军事对话被中断了12个月。

　　There was no immediate response from the Chinese government, although China's Foreign Ministry has repeatedly expressed its "firm opposition" to any U.S. arms sales to Taiwan in recent weeks.

　　中国政府方面没有立即做出回应，但中国外交部近几周再三强调“坚决反对”美国对台军售。

　　The state-run Xinhua news agency said in a commentary published before the announcement that the deal would 'inevitably' damage U.S.-Chinese ties.

　　中国国有媒体新华社在上述决定宣布前发表的一篇社评中说，对台军售“必然”会有损中美关系。

　　Last week, administration officials briefed U.S. legislative staff on the upgrade plan, part of a consultative process that precedes formal notification of a sale. Once Congress is officially notified of a potential arms sale, it typically has 30 days to act to block the deal.

　　上周，美国政府官员向议员们简要介绍了升级计划，这是正式通知前磋商流程的一个步骤。国会正式获得可能军售交易的通知后，通常有30天时间可以阻止交易。

　　Jennifer Berlin, a spokeswoman for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the proposal would be studied by the committee.

　　美国参议院外交委员会(Senate Foreign Relations Committee)发言人柏林（Jennifer Berlin）说，委员会会对提案进行研究。

　　"Now that Congress has been formally notified of the offer to upgrade Taiwan's fleet of F-16s, the committee will do its customary due diligence to make sure that the outcome is in the best interest of our national security," she said.

　　她说，既然现在国会已经得到为台湾F-16机群升级的正式通知，那么委员会会按照惯例做尽职调查，以确保这样做符合美国国家安全的最大利益。