"The ministry's policy (to acquire the jets) is very clear and we will continue promoting it," Andrew Yang told parliament when asked to comment on a US report urging Taiwan to strengthen its air defences.

"Effective air defence is a crucial component if Taiwan is to mount a viable defence of the island," said the report, released this week by the non-profit US-Taiwan Business Council in Washington.

The council said the F-16 C/D jets best suited Taiwan's defence needs but warned that the window for purchasing new jets "is almost shut" as the last F-16s under contract are set to be delivered by the end of 2013.

"It is imperative to deal quickly with the growing... fighter imbalance, so that deliveries to Taiwan may begin by 2014. That is when the fighter shortfall is expected to fully materialise," the council said.

Taiwan applied to the US government to buy 66 F-16 fighters in early 2007, but observers say Washington has held up the deal for fear of angering Beijing.

Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou has stressed that the island needs to acquire the jets "as soon as possible" to replace its ageing F5 fleet and ensure the safety of its skies.

China opposes any arms sales to Taiwan, which it regards as part of its territory awaiting reunification, by force if necessary, even though the two sides have been split since the end of a civil war in 1949.

But ties have improved markedly since Ma took office in 2008 vowing to boost trade and tourism with Beijing.

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