Democrat Sen. vows to try to stop China-Unocal deal (Republican

Senator vows to try to stop China-Unocal deal
By Richard Cowan
2 hours, 42 minutes ago

A Democratic senator said on July 15 he would try to get the Senate to pass legislation blocking the sale of Unocal to Chinese oil company CNOOC as it was against U.S. national interests. Sen. Byron Dorgan of North Dakota said he was considering attaching his proposal to a foreign operations spending bill being debated by the Senate on July 15 and next week or to another bill. An aide delivers a message to Senator Dorgan (R) at the start of a hearing, November 3, 2003. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Democratic senator said on Friday he would try to get the Senate to pass legislation blocking the sale of Unocal to Chinese oil company CNOOC as it was against U.S. national interests.

The U.S. House of Representatives, by an overwhelming 333-92 vote on June 30, approved legislation to block any Bush administration approval of the proposed deal.

Sen. Byron Dorgan of North Dakota said he was considering attaching his proposal to a foreign operations spending bill being debated by the Senate on Friday and next week or to another bill.

Dorgan serves on a Senate Appropriations subcommittee that is scheduled to meet on Tuesday to consider funding for the Treasury Department next year. The House-passed prohibition on CNOOC's acquisition of Unocal was attached to a Treasury spending bill. Dorgan aides were not available to comment on whether he might try to do the same on the Senate version.

On Wednesday, Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Thad Cochran told Reuters he was opposed to any legislation blocking the deal and noted that the administration had the power to stop CNOOC, a state-controlled entity, if it concluded the acquisition would hurt the United States.

"Our strategic and economic national interest is not served by allowing this to happen," Dorgan said of the attempt by CNOOC Ltd to acquire Unocal Corp. .

But Dorgan said his concerns also were rooted in what he sees as an unfair playing field in China for U.S. firms. "There is not and would not be reciprocal treatment if a U.S. oil company or a U.S. company wanted to buy a Chinese company. It wouldn't happen," Dorgan said.

The Treasury Department heads an inter-agency panel called the Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States (CFIUS) that would conduct an economic and security review if Unocal were to accept CNOOC's proposal.

CNOOC's offer of $18.5 billion in cash to acquire the California-based Unocal topped a $16-billion-plus cash and stock offer that Unocal had already accepted from Chevron Corp. .

In seeking to block the merger, Dorgan said he was not delivering a broader anti-China message.

"We must trade with China," Dorgan declared. "The free flow of commerce and market capital is important and I understand that. This amendment is not in any way an attempt to send a message beyond this message," Dorgan added.

House Republicans unveiled legislation on Thursday that would give the Commerce Department more power to slap duties on Chinese goods, heap more pressure on China to revalue its currency and set up a more rigorous U.S. monitoring system of China's trade commitments.

Listen to this!

Are the ChiComs Serious?

Also see

RUSH: MY CONVERSATION WITH REP.CHISTOPHER COX from AUGUST 2000

If this doesn't sheld some light on the TREASONIST Bill Clinton, I don't know what will! His is a scalp worth taking.

See the following free republic post by Alamo-Girl for the information below:

SOUTH CHINA SEA

Wall Street Journal 12/16/98 ".Preoccupied as they are with the here and now of the regional economic crisis, Asean leaders meeting this week in Hanoi have not forgotten the future. That is why China's newest forays in the South China Sea are a hot topic of discussion and may be the target of formal, if oblique, criticism.In an interview with the Far Eastern Economic Review last week, Singaporean Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong said he doesn't believe Beijing would risk alienating Asean by trying to exploit the organization's preoccupation with Asia's financial crisis in order to strengthen China's position in the disputed Spratly Islands chain. Clearly, however, Asean is concerned. If China's buildup on Mischief Reef goes unchallenged, what's next Because Mischief Reef lies within the Philippines 200 nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone, it has fallen to Manila to make a fuss. The Chinese frigates permanently stationed off the reef are part of a beefed-up presence that now includes at least 200 workers, including military personnel, and the construction of a base capable of taking helicopters. Beijing continues to maintain that it all has to do with fishing. But it is now apparent that the facilities under construction are intended to permit an unprecedented projection of Chinese military power in the area.."

South China Morning Post 12/28/98 AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE in Manila ".A senior American congressman who has inspected the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea has accused Washington of playing down China's "aggression" in the area. In his report to the chairman of the US House Internal Relations Committee, epresentative Dana Rohrabacher said the Chinese Navy had been engaged in a "de facto encirclement of Spratly Islands" by constructing military posts such as those discovered in the Philippine-claimed Mischief Reef last month. This "aggression" by the Chinese "threatens trade and military sea lanes vital to the United States and our allies", Mr Rohrabacher said in his report. "For two years, the State Department and the Pentagon have pursued an ostrich policy of burying their heads in the sand, downplaying these dangerous developments." ."

AP 1/7/99 ".The territorial dispute over the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea is an Asian matter in which other countries should not meddle, the Chinese ambassador to the Philippines said Thursday in remarks aimed at the United States. ``I think we can solve the problem ourselves,'' Ambassador Guan Dengming said. ``It's our problem. We don't want other countries to interfere.'' On Monday, the U.S. State Department renewed its appeal to China to avoid any actions that would increase tensions in the Spratlys. State Department spokesman James Rubin urged Beijing to live up to promises to seek a peaceful settlement. Other countries should show restraint as well, he said. The Spratlys, which straddle vital sea lanes, are claimed in whole or in part by the Philippines, China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia. Tensions between the Philippines and China heated up in October after China began enlarging structures it had built in 1995 on Mischief Reef.."

AFP 1/19/98 Freeper Jolly ".Philippine Defense Secretary Orlando Mercado warned Tuesday of increased Chinese naval activities in the disputed Spratly Islands after it completes building what appear to be military structures there. Mercado said the Philippines expects the Chinese to complete the permanent structures on Mischief Reef by the end of the month. "We expect an increase in military activity on the part of the People's Republic of China and we expect to see more naval vessels, this time no longer the escort vessels, survey ships or supply ships that we see," he said in a news briefing. "I think the first frigate that we saw may be the first swallow in the summer that we expect," he said, referring to recent reconnaissance photographs by the Philippine Air Force. Mercado said the frigates monitored off a Chinese occupied shoal were armed with surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles.."

Reuters 2/25/99 - Freeper LPH2 "...The top leaders of China and Vietnam agreed in Beijing on Thursday to resolve the two long-standing dispute of sovereignty in the Spratly Islands. The Spratlys are a cluster of potentially oil-rich islets, reefs and rocky outcrops in the South China Sea claimed wholly or in part by China, Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei. The trip coincided with the 20th anniversary of a two-week war fought between the two sides. Chinese troops crossed into Vietnam on February 17, 1979, to punish Hanoi for its decision a few months earlier to invade Cambodia, which was run by China's then-ally Pol Pot of the Khmer Rouge. The fighting ended on March 5 after Vietnamese troops inflicted heavy casualties on the Chinese...."

The Florida Times-Union 2/27/99 "...A military crisis may be developing in the South China Sea - one that, unlike the Serbian civil war, involves a legitimate U.S. interest. Recent photos from American spy planes indicate China is rapidly turning Woody Island, which has a 7,300-foot runway, into a giant military base. Woody is one of the Paracel Islands, which are located off Vietnam's coast. China also is buying 300 jets from Russia and is developing its own line of fighter bombers. It is believed that the Woody base will be used as a refueling station for fighter planes headed for the Spratly Islands to the south. China is one of several countries claiming the Spratlys, which have oil reserves and good fishing waters. Military intelligence officials say Beijing plans to slowly gain control of hundreds of tiny islands that form an arch stretching from Japan to Indonesia. Taiwan is one of those islands. China already is deploying large numbers of short-range ballistic missiles on its coastline, about 100 miles from Taiwan. And the Philippines is one of the countries claiming part of the Spratlys. The United States is obligated, under treaties, to defend both countries....Besides, American troops are scattered all around the world; there are not enough readily available military resources left to ''stare down'' China. Also, the United States lost a lot of maneuverability a few years ago when the Filipinos forced the closure of the last American military base on their soil. Now that they feel threatened by China, they are reaping what they sowed. Feelings have gotten so tense that the Philippines bombed Chinese installations on Mischief Reef, one of the Spratlys, in 1995. Once China's planes have greater range, that isn't likely to happen again....China in the past has not been shy about seizing islands. The Paracel Islands used to be Vietnamese property. China seized them when Hanoi and Saigon were preoccupied with the Vietnam War. In all probability, the United States is going to have to accept some Chinese domination of Asia. U.S. military resources are not limitless. ..."

Heritage Foundation 2/22/99 Richard D. Fisher, Jr. Freeper Jolly "...During the Cold War, the military alliance between the United States and the Philippines, embodied in the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, was instrumental in deterring the spread of Soviet communism in Asia. This once-strong relationship, however, has been essentially moribund since U.S. air and naval forces departed their bases in the Philippines in 1992. The lack of defense cooperation between old allies has created a power vacuum that China has been exploiting. Since 1995, for example, with little reaction from the Clinton Administration, China has built and expanded structures on Mischief Reef in the Spratly Island chain, about 150 miles from Philippine territory but over 800 miles away from the Chinese mainland. The Clinton Administration needs to tell China clearly that such actions undermine peace in Southeast Asia. It also needs to exercise leadership to ensure that the U.S.-Philippine alliance serves both Philippine and U.S. security..."

Kanwa Intelligence Briefs 2/21/99 Andre Pinkov "...As the pictures recently shown by the China Central Television Station revealed, the J8D in-flight refueling fighter planes have already equipped the naval air force... After obtaining around 24 JH7 planes and at least 24 J8D planes to be used together with its 50 SU27 and H6 fighter planes, the Chinese navy has gained the control of the air above the South China Sea, unnoticed....."

New York Times 2/23/99 James Webb "...But whether or not China becomes a global threat in the future is irrelevant to its activities in Asia today. China is definitely on the move, and its full intentions are far from clear. Last month both The Guangming Daily, a Chinese newspaper, and Taiwan's South China Morning Post reported that the Chinese air force had altered its defensive posture to one focusing mainly on attack readiness, including joint operations involving ground and naval forces. Having benefited from years of technology transfers, many of them from American corporations, the Chinese air force now possesses anti-electronic jamming and air-refueling capabilities as well as greatly improved weapon systems that include air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles, high-precision guided bombs and improved firing control equipment.... Over the past several months the Chinese have also stepped up construction of a military base in the Paracel Islands, 260 miles off the coast of Danang, Vietnam. The base includes a 7,000-foot runway capable of handling a wide array of combat and refueling aircraft. In addition, the Chinese have expanded an installation in the Spratly Islands off the coast of the Philippines. This installation, according to the Philippine military, now appears to hold a helipad, radar, gun emplacements and a four-story structure whose size belies Chinese claims that they have built shelters for fisherman there. Both the Paracels and the Spratlys are contested territories, neither of them recognized as Chinese under international law. With respect to the most recent overt threat to Taiwan, the Chinese protest is disingenuous on its face. The Chinese Government knows that we should no more apologize for including Taiwan in plans for missile defense than we did for including South Korea in similar plans. Our having agreed in principle that Taiwan might someday rejoin China does not mean that we would ever allow such a unification to be coerced. If the reports of bases in the Paracels and Spratlys are accurate, they present a far more serious threat to regional security...."

The Manila Times 2/23/99 Johnna R. Villaviray "...China has apparently won the support of Germany, current chair of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), against discussing territorial disputes in the South China Sea. This after the Chinese ambassador in Bonn, Germany, threatened that Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan will walk out of the meeting if Manila insists on discussing the claims. In a report to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Philippine Charge d'Affaires Antonio Rodriguez said the Germans are not inclined to back the country's moves to include the conflicting claims in the ASEM's agenda..."

Financial Times 3/04/99 Stephen Fidler and James Kynge "…Now, all of a sudden (or so it seems) a new issue has emerged which could expose the fault lines between the two countries: missile defence….Beijing is violently opposed to the introduction of a theatre missile shield anywhere in Asia, as an unwelcome shift in the balance of force there. But it is the prospect of a US-furnished missile shield for Taiwan, which it considers a renegade province, which has provoked the most extreme reaction….Beijing fears that a missile shield for Taiwan would encourage the island to declare independence because it would neutralise Beijing's threat to use force in that event…. Military experts say that the pattern of China's arms acquisitions and deployment shows it is preparing primarily for two theatres of operation, Taiwan and the South China Sea. Of the two, the South China Sea - which China claims virtually in its entirety - has the greater strategic significance. About 15 per cent of the world's cross-border trade passes through the sea every year. If China controlled these sea lanes, it would have a potential stranglehold over not only commercial but also military traffic through the heart of Asia.China's recent construction of structures on a reef near the Philippines shows that Beijing has no intention of letting go of its claim to the Spratly islands - several hundred dispersed islands and reefs scattered through the sea, the analysts say. Legally, too, Beijing is preparing to exercise sovereignty. In 1992, it promulgated a law that allows its navy to "evict foreign naval vessels", and rules that foreign navy ships must apply for permission before crossing the sea…."

AFP 3/05/99 "…China has built two more concrete structures on a disputed outcrop in the South China Sea in violation of an earlier agreement with the Philippines, the Philippines armed forces reported Friday. Philippine Air Force planes on a reconnaissance mission reported sighting the two new structures, which brings to six the total of concrete garrison-like buildings on Mischief Reef, the armed forces said. One of the new structures was described as three storeys high, while the second one was two storeys high, it said. Mischief Reef is part of the disputed Spratly islands chain, which is believed to lie atop vast oil and mineral deposits in vital sea lanes in the South China Sea. The islands are being claimed in whole or in part by the Philippines, China, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan…."

Philippine Daily Inquirer 3/10/99 Cynthia Balana "…NEW STRUCTURES believed put up by China were seen by the military at the Magsaysay Reef in the Philippine-claimed Kalayaan Island Group in the disputed Spratlys. This was disclosed yesterday by Defense Secretary Orlando Mercado during a press conference in Camp Aguinaldo. According to Mercado, Magsaysay Reef was on the same atoll as Mascardo Reef although they were technically regarded as separate reefs. Magsaysay is approximately 325 nautical miles from Puerto Princesa and 250 nautical miles from Balabac island. It is located in the southwesternmost portion of the Kalayaan islands. The Chinese-occupied Mischief Reef, on the other hand, is 180 nautical miles from Puerto Princesa…."

The Manila Times 3/10/99 Raffy Jimenez Johnna Villaviray "…"We are still verifying if the structure is the (handiwork) of China or Vietnam. But we know Vietnam has not been building structures and we know who is on a construction boom," Mercado said in a news conference…."The usual trademark (of China) is increased naval activity, putting up of markers then octagonal structures and, finally, concrete structures," he said, obviously referring to the Chinese construction in Mischief Reef. At the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), there are suspicions that the Vietnamese were behind the construction activities in Magsaysay Reef because the area is sandwiched by two reefs occupied by Vietnamese forces--Kalantyaw (Amboyna) Cay and Mascardo (Barque-Canada) Reef. "If that it true, then this development is graver (than the construction in Mischief Reef) since Vietnam is a fellow Asean," said Undersecretary Lauro Baja….Vietnam already occupies 23 islands and reefs in the Spratlys; China has seven, the Philippines has eight; Malaysia has two; while Taiwan has occupied one reef….Meanwhile, the defense and military establishments said that a total of P8 million had been appropriated for the repair of the airstrip at Pag-asa Island. The repair, Mercado said, is part of the regular maintenance and would not precede improvements on the military capabilities in the area. "There is no reason for China to complain because this is repair, Philippine-style. We are not imitating them, ours is the real repair," Mercado added. China had earlier warned the country against making improvements in Pag-asa Island, claiming these activities are "provocative." The military said the territorial dispute in the Spratlys would remain a veritable flashpoint in the Southeast Asia region. It viewed the recent construction in Magsaysay Reef as an alarming development. "China's construction of naval bases in the disputed territories represent a de facto encirclement of the Spratlys and an intimidating military presence along the vital sea routes in the South China Sea," a senior Army general told The Times…"

Financial Times 3/11/99 Peter Montagnon and Tony Tassell "…Joseph Estrada, Philippine president, called yesterday for closer ties with the US amid growing tensions in the South China Sea over the disputed Spratly Islands. Mr Estrada said the need for Washington to hold the balance of power in the region had been reinforced since the "sudden" construction last year of a large structure by China in Mischief Reef in the Spratlys. His call came as Manila identified newly built structures in a previously undeveloped part of the Spratlys, which has been claimed by eight countries…."

AFP 3/22/99 "…China on Monday rejected Philippine demands to dismantle structures on a disputed South China Sea reef as experts from both sides opened a two-day meeting to resolve the row. "The Meiji Reef is Chinese territory and we have full and sufficient basis as evidence to support our argument," Chinese assistant foreign minister Wang Yi said, when asked if Beijing was prepared to meet Manila's demands to tear down the structures. Wang was referring to the Chinese name of Mischief Reef in the Spratlys island chain which is at the center of a diplomatic storm between Manila and Beijing…. "

AFP 3/21/99 "…Chinese personnel on a disputed reef lobbed objects at a Philippine plane conducting a surveillance of structures Manila believes are for Beijing's military use, ahead of a key meeting between the two sides on Monday. A variety of objects were thrown Saturday at the Philippine air force Nomad plane, carrying AFP journalists, as it passed within 50 metres (150 feet) of the Mischief Reef structures at an altitude of about 30 metres (100 feet). The flight by the Philippines' Western Command which is responsible for monitoring the South China Sea territory, was one of the closest such sorties to date to the contested islet… Chinese in civilian dress threw the unidentified objects at the plane by hand as it made its third and last fly-by but no damage or casualties were sustained…."

AP 3/17/99 "…Philippines President Joseph Estrada discussed a world summit on the next millennium and territorial disputes in the South China Sea with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Wednesday. During a half-hour meeting, they also discussed natural disasters which have affected the Philippines, the Asian financial crisis and a U.N. report on the prosecution of Cambodia's Khmer Rouge leaders, the U.N. spokesman's office said…"

Chinese Embassy Web Pages post 1997 "…China has indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands and their adjacent waters. China was the first to discover and name the islands as the Nansha Islands and the first to exercise sovereign jurisdiction over them. There are ample historical and jurisprudential evidence to support this, and the international community has long recognized it. During the World War II, Japan launched the war of aggression against China and occupied most of China's territory, including the Nansha Islands. It was explicitly provided in the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation and other international documents that all the territories Japan had stolen from China should be restored to China, and naturally, they included the Nansha Islands. In December 1946, the then Chinese government sent senior officials to the Nansha Islands for their recovery. A take-over ceremony was held on the islands and a monument erected in commemoration of it, and troops were sent over on garrison duty. In 1952, the Japanese Government officially stated that it renounced all its "rights, title and claim to Taiwan, Penghu Islands as well as Nansha and Xisha Islands", thus formally returning the Nansha Islands to China. All countries are clear about this part of historical background. As a matter of fact, the United States recognized China's sovereignty over the Nansha Islands in a series of subsequent international conferences and international practice. For quite a long period of time after the World War II, there had been no such a thing as the so-called issue of the South China Sea. No country in the area surrounding the south China Sea had challenged China's exercise of sovereignty over the Nansha Islands and their adjacent waters….

China maintains that all the parties concerned should adopt a restrained, calm and constructive approach on the question of the Nansha Islands. In recent years, countries like Viet Nam and the Philippines have sent troops to seize some uninhabited islands and reefs of the Nansha Islands, destroyed the marks of sovereignty erected by China there, and arrested, detained or driven away by force Chinese fishermen fishing in the South China Sea. On this question, the Chinese side has always persisted in having discussions and settling relevant problems with the countries concerned through diplomatic channels and by peaceful means. It fully testifies to China's sincerity in preserving regional stability and the overall interests of bilateral friendly relations….. The question of the South China Sea is a question between China and the relevant countries. The Chinese government has consistently advocated settlement of the disputes between China and the countries concerned through amicable bilateral consultations. Involvement by any external force is undesirable and will only further complicate the situation. China and the countries concerned are fully capable and confident of handling their disputes appropriately. Peace and tranquillity in the South China Sea area can be maintained on a long-term basis. At present, there is no crisis at all in that area. The kind of tension in the South China Sea which has been played up, even with ulterior motives, is contrary to the facts. Due to force majeure, the shelter facilities for fishermen built by a Chinese local fishery department on Meiji Reef of the Nansha Islands of China a few years ago were seriously damaged, thus directly threatening the safety of life of Chinese fishery personnel. Recently, the Chinese local fishery department has done appropriate repair and reinforcement work on the existing shelter facility, solely for the purpose of peaceful uses, mainly ensuring the safety of life of the fishery personnel…."

Chinatimes 4/16/99 "...US Defense Department officials have warned the Philippines to expect an increasing Chinese naval presence in disputed South China Sea islands in the next five years, a Filipino official said Thursday. "In a recent briefing, Pentagon officials informed (Philippine ambassador to Washington Raul Rabe) that in five years' time the Chinese would be projecting even larger naval forces into the Spratlys," Foreign Undersecretary Lauro Baja said. "This being so, Mischief Reef, aside from being a potential naval air base on its own right, would be a key Chinese command and control facility in support of that projection," he added...."

AFP 4/29/99 "...China and the Philippines are to step up top-level military exchanges to stabilize ties which have been unsettled by rival claims over a South China Sea coral reef, a senior Filipino official said Wednesday. Defense Secretary Orlando Mercado said in a statement that he met with Chinese ambassador to Manila Fu Ying and "discussed the need for us to develop our military relationship." "As a consequence, me must have better exchanges and more frequent exchanges, especially at the top level, between the leaders of the military establishment," he added. No specifics were provided.... "I think as time goes on, we will be able to discuss these things in more detail. This is our first meeting and our first exchange." Mercado said he extended to Fu an invitation to China to take part in "our little confidence building measure" with Vietnam, which along with Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan also claim all or part of the Spratlys. Manila and Hanoi agreed earlier this year to a series of football friendlies between their armed forces teams, with one match to be staged at Philippine-held Thitu island...."

South China Morning Post 5/4/99 AGENCIES "...Asian countries are likely to add between 200 and 300 warships to their navies within the next two decades, despite the region's economic crisis, defence industry experts said yesterday. The role of naval defence has been highlighted in recent months by the dispute between the Philippines and China over the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea and by the lingering threat of war between the two Koreas. Japan and the Philippines were especially strong potential markets, delegates in Singapore for the International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference said. "The marketplace in the next 15 years in Asia is going to be over US$50 billion (HK$386.8 billion), which means over 300 ships," said Robin Keil, of US-based naval consulting firm AMI International...."

Insight Magazine Vol. 13, No. 17 5/12/97 By Timothy W. Maier "...China is making a statement in the Pacific that threatens several of America's most important allies and could force a showdown with the United States. The Red Chinese plan, say U.S. intelligence sources, is to expand its military hegemony to dominate trade in the South China Sea. It's called "power projection," and Pentagon officials, China experts and senior intelligence specialists privately are saying that it could erupt in bloodshed on the water. . . . . These experts say the United States is facing a multibillion-dollar military threat. And, to complicate matters, it is being subsidized by the U.S. bond market, senior national-security officials tell Insight. It is money from American pension funds, insurance companies and securities that may never be paid back.. . . . China's plan is militarily to dominate the first tier of islands to the west of Japan and the Philippines and then project its force to the next "island tier," leaving America's most important allies in the Pacific surrounded by the Chinese military and, short of nuclear war, defenseless...."

WorldNetDaily 5/17/99 J R Nyquist "... China, too, has been engaged in a serious buildup of forces opposite Taiwan. There is also China's invasion of the Spratly Islands, which are located more than 800 miles from China yet 140 miles from the Philippines...As it happens, Taiwan's lifeline runs near to the Spratlys. On Jan.12 of this year, Taiwan President Lee, taking note of Beijing's obvious attempts to encircle his small island country, called on his fellow citizens "to raise their vigilance against the military threat from China." Four days earlier, on Jan. 8, Chinese President Jiang Zemin laid out the mission of the People's Liberation Army in a speech: "We must resolutely safeguard the unity of the motherland and the nation's territorial integrity." Unity, of course, is the war cry of the Communist Chinese against the Nationalist Chinese on Taiwan. President Jiang also warned that the Chinese People's Liberation Army should prepare itself for two things: nuclear war and internal uprisings. Soon thereafter, in mid January, China conducted bomber and missile exercises in which Chinese forces practiced targeting American troops in the Far East. The Chinese have also announced radical changes in military doctrine. The Chinese Air Force was placed in "offensive mode" in January, and China's army doctrine was altered to one of global war-fighting...."

www.scmp.com 5/18/99 Reuters Freeper Thanatos "...China pledged yesterday to ensure freedom of navigation in the South China Sea where it is in dispute with five other nations over ownership of several remote islands. Beijing's ambassador in Manila, Fu Ying, said keeping the sea - regarded as one of the world's most vital shipping lanes - free and safe for navigation was in the interests of everyone, including China, Japan and the US. Asked if China could guarantee freedom of navigation in the area, she replied: "Yes, certainly"...."

International Herald Tribune 5/19/99 Michael Richardson Freeper Stand Watch Listen "...With relations between the United States and China strained following the bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade and subsequent violent demonstrations in China, some officials and analysts say that Beijing will pursue a more assertive Asian policy to show that it is a rising power that must not be taken for granted. A Philippine official said that China had occupied 11 islands and reefs in the Spratlys in recent years, including Mischief Reef in 1995, about 135 nautical miles from the Philippines, to strengthen its claim over much of the South China Sea and the valuable oil, natural gas and fisheries in the area. ..."

AFP 5/16/99 "...In one scenario, three enemy destroyers sail into the waters around the Spratly islands. Suddenly, striking from beyond the range of the ships' air defenses, two Philippine Air Force F-5 jets blast them to pieces with laser-guided bombs. For the time being, this kind of scenario exists only in the type of computer simulators displayed at a recent arms exhibition here, where foreign firms showed off the high-tech weaponry they hope to sell to the poorly equipped Philippine military. Manila has no laser-guided bombs. But it does have a growing fear that China, the largest and most powerful of the claimants to the Spratlys, is taking advantage of Philippine weakness to seize more areas of the disputed South China Sea chain. The growing Chinese threat has increased public support for the modernization of the Philippine military. But the threat has not prompted either the acceleration or the expansion of the modernization program....."

Asia Pulse 5/17/99 "...President Joseph Estrada has sought the help of Filipino-Chinese businessmen in working out a deal with China for the joint exploration and use of resources in the disputed Spratly Islands. The President asked the Filipino-Chinese businessmen, who are scheduled to embark on a trade mission to China next week, to find ways of finding an alternative solution to the territorial dispute between Manila and Beijing over the Mischief Reef. The disputed reef is about 180 nautical miles from the Philippine province of Palawan..... "An economic solution could very well be the basis to put this (the Spratlys dispute) to rest. Getting businessmen to clinch a deal may be the answer to this dispute," Pardo said on the President"s weekly programs JEEP ni Erap: Ang Pasada ng Pangulo. The Philippines and China are among six countries claiming wholly or in part the Spratly Islands, The other four are Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Reports said initial surveys indicate the islands have vast oil and other natural resources...."

Reuters 5/18/99 "...China pledged yesterday to ensure freedom of navigation in the South China Sea where it is in dispute with five other nations over ownership of several remote islands. Beijing's ambassador in Manila, Fu Ying, said keeping the sea - regarded as one of the world's most vital shipping lanes - free and safe for navigation was in the interests of everyone, including China, Japan and the US. Asked if China could guarantee freedom of navigation in the area, she replied: "Yes, certainly"...."

Philippine Daily Inquirer 5/19/99 Dona Pazzibugan and Christine Avendaño "...Continuing his diplomatic attacks on China's aggressive activities in the Spratlys, President Estrada yesterday said Southeast Asian countries must prevent ''any power from controlling the South China Sea.'' Mr. Estrada also called the attention of foreign investors to the Philippines which he said would ''fulfill the promise of the Pacific century.'' Any power controlling the South China Sea will dominate Southeast Asia, ''including the strategic points that connect the Western Pacific with the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf,'' he said in a speech before about 500 top business leaders from around the world. He was addressing the business leaders in an investor's forum sponsored by Credit Lyonnais Securities Asia. He said his government would use ''all diplomatic avenues'' to deal with an increasingly militarized and potentially threatening China to ''promote the best interest of the region.'' ''Our goal is to build a safer Asia as part of global community of nations,'' he said....."

Scmp.com 5/29/99 RAISSA ROBLES "...The Supreme Court was asked yesterday to stop a military exercises accord with the US approved by the Senate on Thursday. The move came as Washington debated a resolution that could send swift military aid to the Philippines..... Congressman Dana Rohrabacher told Philippine congressman Roilo Golez yesterday that he had managed to insert an amendment favourable to Manila in a resolution being deliberated by the US House of Representatives. An amendment to House Resolution 1908 would allow UH-1 helicopters to be donated to the Philippines, along with A-4 aircraft and the Coast Guard cutter Point Evans, said Mr Rohrabacher, who had accompanied Mr Golez on an aerial tour of the Spratlys in December....In urging the amendment, Congressman Rohrabacher said: "The ongoing Chinese construction of naval bases in the Spratlys and repeated incursions of warships and fishing fleets into Philippine territorial waters, have increased the urgency of our long-time ally's need to modernise its naval and air patrol capabilities." Mr Rohrabacher called the Philippines a "frontline nation against the growing designs of China to militarily control the Pacific in the 21st century"...."

6/8/99 AP Freeper Thanatos "...Manila will continue to protect its territorial claims in the South China Sea with naval patrols, despite a warning from Beijing that they could heighten tension, an official said yesterday. Presidential Executive Secretary Ronaldo Zamora said the patrols would continue, specifically around Scarborough Shoal, where a Chinese fishing boat sank last month after being chased by a Philippine Navy patrol ship. All crew aboard the boat were rescued. "We have a right to patrol these waters," Mr Zamora said...."

6/9/99 AP Washington Post Freeper Thanatos "...The Philippine Supreme Court ordered President Joseph Estrada and several Cabinet members today to defend the constitutionality of a U.S. military pact which opponents claim was improperly approved. Last month, the Philippine Senate passed the Visiting Forces Agreement, which allows a resumption of U.S. naval ship visits and large-scale joint military exercises in the country...."

6/11/99 AFP scmp Freeper Thanatos "...Philippine claims to a shoal in the South China Sea were "irresponsible", Beijing said yesterday. "Huangyan Island [also known as Scarborough Shoal] is Chinese territory and the international community, including the Philippines, has never objected to that before," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said. She hoped the Philippines would "not make any more irresponsible remarks of this kind". Scarborough Shoal falls within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone...."

TAIWAN

General

Beijing demands Taiwan be reunified with China. After China's Jiang visit in Nov 1997, Clinton urged Taipei to get on with negotiations with China. Taiwan declares itself a sovereign democracy. The last time Taiwan held national elections (1996) - China fired missiles into Taiwan's waters, assembled a huge military operation and disrupted commerce. In reaction, the US sent carriers. Beijing then threatened a sea of fire if the US carriers entered the strait, and further warned of nuclear missiles on Los Angeles if the US defended Taiwan too much. China now (June 98) has 13 of its 18 missiles targeted at the US.

June 4, 1998 - China President Jiang Zemin said he will seek confirmation of US pledges not to interfere in Tiawan. "The US side has very clearly pledged not to support . the independence of Taiwan or its re-admittance into international organizations." Chinese president Jiang Xemin said in a speech that the coming "liberation" of Taiwan was a "holy duty."

In response to the House resolution 411-0 demanding Beijing abandon its threat to invade Taiwan if it declared independence, China's official Xinhua news agency said "Every sovereign state has the right to take all means it deems essential, including military means, to safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integration."

Chinese Foreign Minister on 6/22/98 said: "The president should, at an appropriate occasion, make a public statement reiterating what the U.S. has already promised on the Taiwan question . The U.S. side should also indicate it will take concrete actions to match the commitment it has made with deeds."

Diary

On 6/27/98 Taiwan denounced China for refusing to rule out military action against the island during a summit in Beijing between China's President Jiang Zemin and President Clinton. Hundreds of Taiwanese marched through Taipei to express concern over the Jiang-Clinton meeting. One banner read: ``Oppose Superpowers Invading Taiwan's Sovereignty.'' Washington cut diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 1979 in order to recognize China. But unofficial ties remain close, and Washington is bound by law to ensure Taiwan can defend itself. Mr Jiang claimed Beijing has opened several channels of communication with the Dalai Lama and said the offer for talks with the Tibetan leader was open if he first recognised Taiwan as a Chinese province.

6/29/98 Fox News reports that "President Clinton Tuesday reaffirmed a U.S. committment to one China ruled from Beijing and opposition to independence for Taiwan."

Washington Times, 7/1/98 Warrent Strobel ".Officials of the Taipei government had expressed satisfaction earlier this year with U.S. assurances that Mr. Clinton would not harm their national interests in conversations in mainland China, but were concerned that the assurances had not been made in public. Mr. Hu (Jason Hu, the foreign minister of the Republic of China in Taiwan) recalled that the United States, in its 1994 Taiwan policy review, pledged that it would work to "make Taiwan's voice be heard" in all international organizations to which it is not a member. "How does that square with shutting the door on membership?" he asked rhetorically.."

Summarized from Xcoastie post: Not only has Clinton pledged support to Taiwan but in 1996, he put thousands of US service men and women in harms way to "protect the sovereignty of Taiwan." But now, June 1998, Clinton's foreign policy favors China to the exclusion of the sovereignty of Taiwan. Parallels to Clinton foreign policy and command decisions in Somalia, Haiti, Rwanda, Cuba and Bosnia noted.

Daily Republican Tatsudo Akayama 7/1/98 ".The Clinton administration sent shock waves throughout the Pacific Rim this week when the president placed the wishes of communist leaders in Beijing ahead of established commitments with Tokyo who, at U.S. insistence, has formally recognized the Nationalist government of Taiwan as the legitimate government of China. Parris H. Chang, a Taiwan legislator told reporters '...It's wrong, morally and politically, for Clinton to collude with the communist dictatorship to restrict the future of a democratic country...Beijing is trying to manipulate the United States to isolate Taiwan diplomatically. That Clinton has fallen into that kind of trap is unfortunate. . . . U.S. policy toward Taiwan is on a slippery slope. More and more, the United States is making concessions to China without any return.' "

7/2/98 Washington Post "The outlines of a deal are beginning to emerge. China gives President Clinton air time for his speech. Mr. Clinton says what China wants to hear on Taiwan. Then, in classic Clinton fashion, the White House tries to have things both ways, denying that U.S. policy has changed when in fact it has, and not for the better. Past administrations recognized the Beijing government as the legitimate government of China and "acknowledged" China's position with regard to Taiwan. But "acknowledge" did not mean "accept." "

Fox News 7/3/98 Hong Kong: "U.S. President Clinton said on Friday he was not changing U.S. policy in any way when he stated his opposition to independence for Taiwan . Some commentators have interpreted the remarks as going beyond the previous U.S. position. .Beijing had pushed for a formal written statement reaffirming U.S. policy on Taiwan from Clinton. The administration rejected that approach because it would look like the United States was negotiating the future of democratic Taiwan with the communist government in Beijing. But officials decided Clinton could make a unilateral statement of U.S. policy. .Clinton stressed: "I didn't intend and don't believe I changed the substance of our position in anyway.'' .Taiwan's President Lee said on Thursday he was grateful to Clinton for keeping a U.S. vow to continue arming the Nationalist-ruled island. "

7/3/98 Gregg Jones Dallas Morning News ".From the outset of the American president's visit, Chinese officials have emphasized Taiwan as the top item on their agenda. The greatest fear in Taiwan is that the United States might use the nation as a bargaining chip in negotiations with China over nuclear proliferation and other strategic issues. Chi Su, a senior adviser to Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui. "President Clinton may feel like he has done nothing damaging to us, but his good intentions may be twisted by the interpretation attached to these terms in Beijing.".Polls show that fewer than 5 percent of Taiwanese favor immediate reunification with China. Although a majority of Taiwanese say they support eventual reunification with the mainland, they say China first must become a democracy with a capitalist economy."We are treated as a noncitizen in the world," said Mr. Chi, the presidential adviser. "We have no way to express ourselves on issues that affect us, all because someone claims they own us. Frustration is quite deep. People ask what have we done to deserve this?""

7/2/98 Wall Street Journal ".The bedrock of U.S. policy toward Taiwan has always been the Shanghai Communiqu‚, issued in 1972 as the two nations began their rapprochement, and affirmed in later agreements and the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979. In this document the U.S. declared that it "acknowledges that all Chinese on either side of the Taiwan Strait maintain there is but one China and that Taiwan is part of China. The United States government does not challenge that position. It reaffirms its interest in a peaceful settlement of the Taiwan question by the Chinese themselves." .consider the President's language: "We don't support independence for Taiwan; or two Chinas; or one Taiwan, one China. And we don't believe that Taiwan should be a member in any organization for which statehood is a requirement." Anyone who reads English can see that this is miles beyond the careful language Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger crafted in 1972.."

The Claremont Institute Bruce Herschensohn 7/6/98 ".I hope President Clinton remembers, or at least has been reminded of, our position on Taiwan's membership in the United Nations Organization in 1971, when it was expelled from that organization. President Nixon's U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., George Bush, was the leader in trying to maintain the Republic's continuation of membership and referred to the ouster of the Republic as a "moment of infamy." President Nixon said that the United States "deeply regrets the action taken by the U.N. to deprive the Republic of China of representation in that organization.".

7/6/98 AP Barry Schweid ".Richard Bush, the top U.S. liaison official to Taiwan, was sent to Taipei to talk to President Lee Teng-hui. Lee told Bush the United States should not consult Beijing when discussing Taiwan's future. "In the future, your country should negotiate directly with us about any matters involving Taiwan,'' he said. "You don't have to and should not hold bilateral talks with the Chinese communists'' about Taiwan. .."

7/7/98 Wall Street Journal Parris Chang ".So Mr. Clinton espoused democracy and freedom in China, and then committed the U.S. to oppose the right of Taiwan, a democratic and open society, to determine its own future. That Taiwan even became an "issue" in talks with China foretold the Clinton administration's willingness to trade Taiwan's future for favor with Beijing's leadership. Mr. Clinton has given the Chinese what every previous president, Democrat or Republican, has deliberately withheld: a U.S. commitment to China's goal of one day bringing Taiwan under Beijing's control."

7/10/98 Washington Post John Pomfret "China urged Taiwan today to "face reality" and submit to holding talks on eventual reunification with China following comments from President Clinton that the United States would not support an independent Taiwan.The developments indicate that after a three-year freeze, talks could begin as early as this fall between the two sides. They also underscore the important role the United States has played in forcing Taiwan to the bargaining table."

7/10/98 China Daily Bian Hongwe ".Yuan Ming, a professor with Beijing University, said that China has always been against US arms sales to Taiwan, which is an integral part of China. China says that such arms sales harm China's peaceful unification. The renewal of the US-Japan security alliance has increased China's suspicions that such an alliance would extend to the Taiwan Straits."

7/10/98 AP Tom Raum "The Senate underscored the U.S. commitment to Taiwan in a 92-0 vote Friday that Republicans called a ``powerful signal'' repudiating President Clinton's comments during his China trip. Democrats said the resolution, repeating a U.S. pledge to help Taiwan ``maintain a sufficient self-defense capability,'' merely reaffirms existing law.."

Boston Herald 7/13/98 Reuters " China today lashed out at the U.S. Senate for a resolution supporting arch foe Taiwan, saying such measures were ``doomed to failure.'' The Xinhua news agency also hinted that the resolution threatened to undermine progress achieved by President Bill Clinton during his historic visit to China that ended this month. ``China strongly resents and is resolutely opposed to recent anti-China resolutions adopted by the U.S. Senate,'' Xinhua quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Tang Guoqiang as saying.."

7/7/98 Pat Buchanan "A collision between the United States and China over Taiwan now seems certain. And Bill Clinton's gratuitous assertion in China that the United States opposes Taiwan's membership in any organization that requires nationhood as a condition makes it more certain..Unless communism is overthrown in China, and Taipei and Beijing freely agree to reunite, it would appear that unification, if it is to come, must come by force. And China has indicated it will go to war rather than see Taiwan go free."

7/10/98 Heritage Foundation Stephen Yates "President Clinton's statement against Taiwan's participation in international organizations makes the United States an accomplice in China's campaign to squeeze Taiwan into submission by isolating the island internationally. Nothing in the existing U.S.-China joint communiques suggests or obliges the United States to oppose Taiwan's membership in any international organization."

7/15/98 Hong Kong Standard on China Foreign Ministry spokesman Tang Guoqiang who said ".``We hope that the US government will adopt effective measures to eliminate interference and prevent Congress from passing anti-China resolutions so that Sino-US relations will not be harmed.'' The US constitution entitles the government ``to adopt effective measures to prevent the Congress from passing such resolutions''."

7/17/98 Washington Times Richard Halloran "The Chinese government has wasted little time seeking to turn to advantage President Clinton's new policy on Taiwan that he enunciated during his nine- day visit to China. Despite administration disclaimers that Mr. Clinton broke no new ground, the record shows that he has become the first U.S. president to commit the United States to Beijing's concept on the fate of Taiwan, the island nation of 21 million people that considers itself to be independent but that Beijing claims is a province of China. Shortly after Mr. Clinton left China, the spokesman for the Foreign Ministry in Beijing, Tang Guoqiang, stated: "We attach great importance to these commitments." Next, the Chinese ambassador to the United Nations, Qin Huasun, wrote a stinging letter to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan demanding that the question of Taiwan's admission to the United Nations be precluded from the agenda in the fall.."

8/5/98 Gerald Segal Wall Street Journal "In order to forestall American efforts to push them into the arms of the mainland, representatives of the Taipei government are embarking on a subtle campaign to remind the world that the Taiwanese military retains the option of completing the development of a nuclear deterrent."

Lateline News of China/Agence France Presse 8/25/98 "Taipe: Taiwan's military has finished setting up three batteries of US-made Patriotanti-ballistic missiles around the capital to counter any possible threat from the mainland, a report said on Monday.."

Lateline News of China/Reuters 8/29/98 "China on Friday denounced U.S. plans to sell missiles and anti-submarine torpedoes worth $350 million to Taiwan, warning that such moves would sabotage peaceful reunification between the two rivals. ``We demand the U.S. government strictly abide by the August 17 Sino-U.S. communique through practical action and stop any moves that violate China's sovereignty and sabotage China's peaceful reunification,'' a foreign ministry spokesman said."

South China Morning Post 10/7/98 Willy Wo-Lap Lam "China's rough timetable for the "liberation" of Taiwan is still quite a long way off: 2020, by most accounts. Yet Beijing has of late been displaying uncharacteristic confidence that the "breakaway province" can be recovered smoothly, and on its terms.. This daguozhanlue, as Chinese academics and cadres phrase it in official journals, can be stated succinctly: in global status and clout, China has achieved rough parity with the United States, and if Beijing can maintain this momentum, the Taiwan problem can be cracked well ahead of the "timetable". According to a respected foreign-affairs academic, Beijing is convinced it is fast narrowing the "power gap" with the US after the two presidential summits of October 1997 and last June. "Jiang Zemin and Bill Clinton talked as equals," he said. "This shows up what is obvious. In terms of economic, military and diplomatic influence, China is closing in on the US." ..He added that China was able to strike an "unofficial deal" with the US at the two summits. Beijing respected Washington's "spheres of influence" in the world, including Europe and the Middle East; and Beijing would not challenge a number of American strongholds in the Asia-Pacific region. In return, Washington agreed to honour China's national and diplomatic interests. And in the near term, those interests were focused on Taiwan. Subscribers to this theory of covert deals pointed to widespread speculation that during the June summit, Mr Clinton made "secret" pledges on Taiwan, including limiting the range of armaments that the US would sell to the island.."

Central News Agency 10-15-98 Flor Wang ".Justice Minister Cheng Chung-mo said on Thursday that the government is actively probing the role of mainland Chinese capital in Taiwan's year-end elections. Responding to inquiries raised by Legislator Tsai Huang-lang, Cheng said the Investigation Bureau under the Justice Ministry has gained some information regarding the issue, but that he could not divulge details because the probe has already started. Earlier this month, at an interpellation session in the Legislative Yuan, Tsai claimed that mainland Chinese capital has infiltrated the campaigns for Taiwan's legislative elections, as well as the Taipei and Kaohsiung mayoral and council elections, both slated for December, in the following ways: -- using Taiwan businessmen who travel frequently between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, by injecting mainland money via their companies; -- using brokers in cross-strait affairs to carry mainland capital to Taiwan to back certain candidates selected by the mainland authorities; -- cultivating certain candidates around the island to serve as mainland China's spin doctors.."

The Washington Times 10/16/98 James Hackett ". Meanwhile, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) is carrying out a major modernization program to build up the forces needed to apply pressure on Taiwan. Beijing's cross-strait forces, always large in number, are being improved by the acquisition of modern air and naval weapons, and advanced missile technologies. Just a month after President Clinton's much ballyhooed trip to China, the State Council issued a white paper on defense that specifically refused to renounce the use of force against Taiwan. It also criticized the U.S. military alliances with Japan and South Korea, and called for an alternative power structure in the Western Pacific (presumably one dominated by Beijing). Richard Fisher of the Heritage Foundation has documented the Chinese military buildup. The naval forces that will lead an assault across the Taiwan Strait are givven high priority. Four Kilo-class attack submarines have been bought from Russia and 10 more may be on order. These advanced submarines are extremely quiet and carry modern torpedoes that pose a threat not only to Taiwan's navy but also to the U.S. 7th fleet.Perhaps the most advanced weapon system bought by China is the Russian Su-27 jet fighter that is considered better than the U.S. F-15 in some respects. Fifty have been delivered from Russia and 200 are being produced in China. The Su-27 fires the AA-11 Archer, the first helmet-sighted air-to-air missile in Asia, plus supersonic anti-ship missiles. And now the PLA wants to buy the Russian AA-12 Adder, a self- guided air-to-air missile with a range of 56 miles, which would give the mainland the ability to strike Taiwan's air defenses from well out over the Taiwan Strait..But the PLA is eager to launch more missiles into the Taiwan Strait to threaten the trade and maritime traffic on which the island nation depends. Normally cautious, the leadership in Beijing could be induced by the economic downturn to unleash the military against Taiwan, to divert public attention from domestic problems. And what better time, with a weak and compliant president in the White House? ..A White House source recently was quoted as saying, "There's never a good time for an arms sale to Taiwan," since such sales are tracked by Beijing officials. This desire to avoid anything that might upset China's communist rulers includes a continuing refusal to sell Taiwan the AIM-120 air-to-air missile it needs to defend against Russia's SU-27 with its Archer air-to-air missile. The administration's rationale for refusing the sale ---- that it might start an arms race in the region --- is patently ridiculous.."

Xinhua News Agency 10/29/98 Chinese Communist Party ".China expressed here today its strong resentment and firm opposition to the anti-China contents enshrined in two US acts passed recently by United States Congress. In a statement made by Foreign Ministry spokesman Tang Guoqiang in a regular press conference this afternoon, Tang said that these contents serve to interfere in China's internal affairs, support the Tibetan separatist elements, obstruct the normal cooperation between China and the United States in economic, trade and other fields, include Taiwan into the TMD system and continue to sell arms to Taiwan. These contents were contained in the Omnibus Appropriation Act and the 1999 Fiscal Year Department of Defense Authorization Act, which were passed recently by the US Congress. "By passing these acts, the US Congress has gravely violated the basic norms of international relations and the principles enshrined in the three Sino-US Joint Communiques, interfered in China's internal affairs, seriously hurt the feelings of the Chinese people, placed obstacles to the Chinese people's great cause of peaceful reunification of the motherland and normal exchanges and cooperation between the two countries," Tang said.."

Washington Times 11/12/98 Bill Gertz ".China is set to conduct the first flight test next month of a new mobile intercontinental ballistic missile that can reach the western United States, The Washington Times has learned. U.S. intelligence agencies reported secretly within the U.S. government last week that the initial flight test of the DF-31 ICBM will take place in December, and some U.S. officials are concerned it could be part of a new campaign of intimidation by Beijing against Taiwan. Parliamentary elections are scheduled for Dec. 5 on the island of Taiwan, which China regards as a breakaway province. The opposition Democratic Progressive Party, which seeks full independence from China, could gain seats. "The Chinese have indicated they will do something around the time of the Taiwan elections," one Pentagon official said. "We don't know what it is." In March 1996, China conducted war games near Taiwan that included short-range missile test firings near Taiwan in what U.S. officials said was an attempt to intimidate Taiwan weeks before its first presidential elections.China rarely, if ever, makes public information about its strategic nuclear weapons programs, which have been undergoing a steady modernization from older, liquid- fuel missiles to highly accurate mobile ICBMs. Besides the DF-31, China is building a missile with a range of up to 8,000 miles that is known as the DF-41. It also is working on conventional and nuclear cruise missiles. Concern over the timing of the upcoming DF-31 flight test was prompted by China's past use of strategic missile developments and flight tests to send political signals..A CIA report from earlier this year said 13 of China's 18 long-range nuclear missiles were targeted on the United States. The report contradicted Mr. Clinton's often-used phrase there are no nuclear missiles aimed at the United States. During the July summit, China announced it would no longer point its missiles at the United States, although U.S. intelligence agencies have yet to verify this.."

The Economist 11/7-13/98 ".JOURNALISTS are used to being treated with contempt by politicians, but not in Taiwan. A foreign journalist arriving for an interview with the mayor of Kaohsiung, an industrial city in the south, is greeted by cameramen from the national television news, local reporters and the mayor's protocol officer and photographers. When the interview is over, the mayor presents the plaque of the city, and the photographers and television cameramen record the handshakes. The same ritual is repeated at a dozen other government interviews. What makes the foreign press so special is that it provides Taiwan with an international voice. Deprived of diplomatic recognition by everyone who matters, Taiwan is forced instead to court the media and spend tens of millions of dollars a year on advertising, lobbying and public relations.."

Agence France Presse 10/6/08 Beijing "China on Tuesday slammed tentative plans for Japan and the United States to develop a theater missile defense (TMD) program, denouncing some of the clauses in a related U.S. defense spending bill as "anti-China." "China hopes that the government of the United States will take effective measures to prevent the anti-China clauses from becoming law," Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzao told a news briefing in Beijing. The United States and Japan issued a joint statement in New York on Sept. 20 apparently agreeing to push the TMD system after North Korea launched a rocket on Aug. 31 that over flew part of Japan.."If this act becomes law, it will create obstacles to the improvement and development of Sino-U.S. relations, and will also be detrimental to the security and stability of Taiwan and the Asia-Pacific region," Zhu said. "The Chinese side hereby expresses a deep concern and strong opposition to this," he said. Zhu also called for the United States to stop selling arms to Taiwan, an intention which was also reaffirmed in the defense bill.."

Associated Press 1/12/99 Laura Myers ".A top Chinese diplomat warned the Clinton administration Tuesday against working with Japan or Taiwan on anti-missile defense systems, suggesting that Beijing might build more powerful missiles in response. "This would have a negative impact on regional and global stability,'' said Sha Zukang, director general of the Chinese Foreign Ministry's arms control and disarmament division..While the Clinton administration sells conventional arms to Taiwan, which China considers a renegade province, the United States is not helping the island develop a missile defense system. Some members of Congress have long favored the idea, however. .."

Associated Press 1/21/99 Charles Hutzler ".China criticized a U.S. plan to deploy an anti- missile defense system as destabilizing Thursday, and urged Washington not to sell missile defenses to rival Taiwan. ."

Washington Times 1/26/99 Bill Gertz ".China's army conducted a military exercise last month with simulated missile firings against Taiwan and also for the first time conducted mock attacks on U.S. troops in the region, according to Pentagon intelligence officials. The exercise began in late November and ended in early December as road-mobile CSS-5 medium-range missiles maneuvered along China's coast, said officials familiar with a Dec. 2 Defense Intelligence Agency report on the exercise. Disclosure of the Chinese exercise comes as officials in the Clinton administration said efforts are under way to soften the conclusions of a congressionally mandated report on missile defenses and missile threats in Asia, including new details on the rapidly growing Chinese missile arsenal. According to sensitive intelligence gathered by U.S. satellites, aircraft and ships that monitored the Chinese exercise, People's Liberation Army units, including those equipped with intermediate-range CSS-5s and silo- housed CSS-2 missile units practiced firing missiles at Taiwan.."

AP 2/5/99 ". China will build a $4 million sports stadium for St. Lucia as a reward for breaking diplomatic ties with Taiwan, the Caribbean country's government said Friday. Foreign Minister George Odlum said the Chinese had also expressed interest in investing in offshore banking services on the island. St. Lucia broke ties with China's rival, Taiwan, 17 months ago. Prime Minister Kenny Anthony is currently on a trip to China. China sees Taiwan as a renegade province and has tried to deny it international recognition by courting its political allies.."

Reuters 2/8/99 ".The United States told the Macedonian government it should have consulted the international community more widely before opening diplomatic relations with Taiwan, the Macedonian premier said on Friday. But the United States did not suggest Macedonia go back on last month's decision, which could complicate attempts to extend the mandate for a U.N. peace force in the Balkan state, Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski told a news conference.China has taken the Macedonian government's decision badly and the Chinese ambassador in Skopje was quoted as saying his country may reconsider its position on UNPREDEP, the U.N. Preventive Deployment force in Macedonia. Beijing has warned other countries again forging ties with Taiwan, which it regards as a renegade province subject to eventual union with the mainland. The two split after a civil war in 1949.."

DoD News Brief 2/11/99 Captain Doubleday ".QUESTION:Could you comment on whether the department is concerned about Chinese missiles that are apparently pointed at Taiwan? QUESTION:I think there are some Taiwanese officials quoted today as saying that they understand there's at least 100 now staring at them from across the straits, and there may be plans to increase that by as much as 600. DOUBLEDAY:Well, we're aware of the growing deployment by the Chinese in recent years of missiles which have been placed near Taiwan. I think that the most recent public statements on this were made by CIA Director George Tenet when he testified recently up on the Hill. This, however, is not a new threat.It stretches back more than half a decade, and any kind of a report that indicates that there is a sudden deployment here are wrong. They actually have been deployed for, as I say, over the last five or six years... "

DoD News Brief 2/18/99 Captain Doubleday ".Q: Can you say anything about the theater missile defense report on Taiwan? Has that gone to the Hill yet? A: The theater missile defense report has gone to the Hill. We're talking to people up on the Hill about the report and about briefings that might be offered to both staff and Members if they desire. We haven't scheduled any, to my knowledge, yet, but we're certainly prepared to do that. That is a classified report. We are hoping that there will be an unclassified version at some stage, and when there is, we'll look forward to sharing it with you."

China News 2/3/99 ".The question of whether Taiwan will be covered under the Theater Missile Defense (TMD) system may soon be answered after the United States Department of Defense yesterday submitted a report on the proposed system to Congress. Although the report has not been made public, Hong Kong's Singtao Daily newspaper quoted Defense Department sources as saying: "Taiwan does not meet necessary conditions to enter TMD." The newspaper's source added that "Taiwan isn't even mentioned in the (US) report." But Taiwan's Central News Agency quoted a high-level Ministry of Foreign Affairs official as refuting the Hong Kong newspaper report. The official said the US had provided Taiwan officials with a brief of the report and it did cover issues related to the island. But he added that the Taiwanese government will not divulge the contents of the report until the US Congress makes an official decision on the matter. The Department of Defense report evaluates the feasibility of the participation of Taiwan, South Korea and Japan in TMD, a system intended to provide a defensive umbrella against missile attack on Asia-Pacific countries. . He also hinted that China is ready to adopt a missile export management system in exchange for US refusal to supply Taiwan with TMD-related technology. .."

Reuters 2/10/99 ".Taiwan intelligence has confirmed that rival China has deployed more than 100 ballistic missiles that could be fired at the island, Taiwan's defense ministry said Wednesday. ``Based on current information obtained by our ministry, the Chinese communists indeed have more than 100 M-class missiles in storage that could target Taiwan,'' the ministry said in a statement.."

New York Times 2/12/99 Jane Perlez ".Instead of showing signs of progress in its policy of "constructive engagement" with China, the administration is facing a squall of China-bashing in Congress. Even U.S. business, a constituency that the administration's China policy has particularly tried to assist and the loudest advocate of closer ties, is complaining about Beijing's new restrictions on foreign investment. Stung by a bipartisan congressional inquiry's findings that China stole sensitive U.S. military technology, administration officials say they are warily waiting for even more explosive details expected to be announced in March in a declassified report by the congressmen who headed the inquiry..the Pentagon would report that in the early 1990s China had 60 missiles pointed at Taiwan but that since 1995 that number has more than doubled. In three years the Chinese are expected to have 800 missiles deployed on their side of the strait.. At the top of the list is the administration's proposal, which the Chinese have vehemently criticized, to push forward plans for developing a theater missile defense system with Japan, South Korea and possibly Taiwan. The system, which is still in the design stage, has been promoted with renewed urgency by the administration since the surprise firing by North Korea of a missile that flew over Japan and into the Pacific in August.."

Aviation Week & Space Technology 2/16/99 Freeper RR ".The Defense Dept. is forming a Space Launch Monitoring Div. with a cadre dedicated to making sure sensitive technology doesn't leak when U.S.-built satellites are launched from China.. A select House committee chaired by Christopher Cox (R-Calif.) made the recommendations, but its report had still not been declassified late last week. However, the White House response, most of which is unclassified, says the government will establish end-to-end monitoring of launch campaigns (and failure investigations) and vacuum up all documents authorized for release to China and distribute them to the Defense, State and Commerce Depts. and CIA. "To assist," the report says, "State and DoD are moving toward a system with industry by which the two departments will have intrusive, on-line access to all controlled technical data." .Ever concerned about alienating Chinese military officials, the Pentagon is playing down reports that Beijing is increasing the number of short-range ballistic missiles opposite Taiwan.."

Washington Post 2/26/99 Thomas Lippman "...China is engaged in an intense buildup of ballistic and cruise missile forces that will give it an "overwhelming advantage" over Taiwan by 2005, the Pentagon reported to Congress yesterday. Concentrated in eastern and southern China, these missiles "pose a serious threat to non-hardened military targets, [command and control] nodes and Taiwan's military infrastructure," according to the Pentagon assessment. These were among key findings in an assessment of the military balance in the Taiwan Strait area ordered by Congress. The report was due at the beginning of February but was held up until yesterday by arguments between the Pentagon and the State Department about what it should say, according to several sources.... According to Sen. Frank H. Murkowski (R-Alaska), a classified version of the Pentagon military assessment "examines the feasibility" of developing anti-missile defenses to protect Taiwan, South Korea and Japan. China is opposed to any effort to develop anti-missile capability in the region, especially on Taiwan, which according to Beijing is not an independent country and should not be contemplating military resistance to Beijing... Carl Ford, a former Defense Department official now acting as a consultant to Taiwan, called the report "amazingly straightforward, given the pressures in the administration to avoid provoking the People's Republic of China any more than they need to." ..."

Washington Times 2/26/99 Bill Gertz "...China's buildup of new missiles and other high-technology weapons in areas near Taiwan is shifting the balance of power in favor of Beijing, according to a Pentagon report released Thursday by Congress...Defense officials familiar with an earlier Pentagon report said the Chinese short-range missile force of M-9s and M-11s will grow from about 150 this year to 650 by 2005, and most will be deployed in areas near Taiwan. "In an armed conflict with Taiwan, China's short-range ballistic missiles likely would target air defense installations, naval bases, [command and control] nodes and logistics facilities," Thursday's report said. Development of cruise missiles similar to the U.S. Tomahawk is a high priority for the Chinese and is being boosted by acquisition of cruise-missile technology from Russia, the report said. The PLA will continue to field large numbers of increasingly accurate short-range ballistic missiles and introduce land-attack cruise missiles into its inventory," the report stated. Taiwan, meanwhile, is seeking a "qualitative edge over Beijing" by 2005 with purchases of new fighter jets, warships and air-defense systems, the report said..."

AP 2/28/99 "...Stymied in its attempts to acquire modern submarines, Taiwan's navy seeks to buy advanced U.S. Aegis warships to improve defenses against rival China, newspapers reported Sunday. Taiwan has asked to purchase an unspecified number of the ships, which boast highly advanced guided missile technology, the Liberty Times daily reported, quoting unidentified high-level military sources. That follows fruitless attempts to buy submarines and substantial improvements in Taiwan's antisubmarine warfare defense capabilities that reduce the need for Taiwan to obtain new submarines, the paper said. Two Aegis warships positioned at either end of Taiwan could substantially boost the island's ability to detect and shoot down Chinese missiles, the Liberty Times said China has an estimated 200 ballistic missiles targeted at Taiwan, and is reportedly purchasing Russian Sovremenny-class destroyers carrying SS-22 ``Sunburn'' cruise missiles, which naval experts say pose an even greater threat to Taiwan...."

Kanwa news 2/18/99 Yihong Zhang Freeper Jolly "...After the crisis in the Taiwan Strait in 1996, China further realized the importance and urgency of resolving the Taiwan issue through military struggle. Then it immediately made an obvious but more focused adjustment in the development of military equipment, the purchase of weapons from foreign countries, and the other arrangements. The Chinese strategic thinking in the development of weapons and equipment in recent years reflects the following three levels of deterrence. First of all, the first level of deterrence is the direct threat to Taiwan...The second level of deterrence is intended for the prevention of US involvement through the import of the Modern-class destroyers suitable for the attack on the aircraft carrier fleet, the development of the long-range cruise missiles, and the expedition in the development of the new ICBMs and the nuclear attack submarines. The third level of deterrence is directed at the ambiguous attitude that Japan may show in case of any conflict that happens in the Taiwan Strait, including providing part of the logistic support to the US army. The specific manifestation of this level of deterrence is increased operations of the Chinese navy and air force in the South China Sea, including having more J8D in-flight refueling fighter planes and more upgraded Ming-class submarines, establishing more bridgeheads and support bases on the sea, and entering into an ever more extensive area of the sea...."

2/25/99 AP "…China lashed back at Macedonia for establishing ties with Taiwan on Thursday, vetoing a Security Council resolution that would have kept U.N. peacekeepers in the strategic Balkan country for another six months. Russian Ambassador Sergey Lavrov abstained from the vote, saying Moscow's amendments had not been taken into consideration. China's veto was a major blow to the United Nations, which has held up the Macedonia mission as a model of preventative peacekeeping. The U.N. Preventative Deployment Force was dispatched to Macedonia in 1992 during the Bosnian war to prevent the spread of the ethnic conflict…."

Reuters 2/22/99 "... With the deadline drawing near for renewal of U.N. troops in Macedonia, diplomats fear China will make good on its threat to veto the operation because of Skopje's new relations with Taiwan. France is hoping that Macedonia will review the issue before Feb. 28, maintaining economic relations but not recognizing Taipei as a separate state, Macedonia's state radio said.... It was deployed in 1995 to monitor borders and deter the spread of fighting to Macedonia from Bosnia and other parts of the former Yugoslavia. Macedonia also provides logistical support for European civilian monitors that were in Kosovo and is the main base for a NATO extraction force for the monitors....Macedonia and Taiwan announced new diplomatic relations last month, provoking an immediate protest from China, which considers Taiwan a renegade province with no right to its own international relations...."

Business Week 3/1/99 Stan Crock Joyce Baranthan "...The revelation that China is building up its missile arsenal across the Taiwan Strait from Taipei seemed to confirm every Sinophobe's worst fear: A modernized People's Liberation Army, packing stolen high-tech weapons technology, was finally flexing its muscles. The reality is far more complex. Despite that menacing array of missiles, China's army, navy, and air force are mainly ill-equipped and badly trained. Yet the Chinese are more committed than ever to building a military their neighbors must fear and respect..... But China's military ambitions cannot be discounted. Now that Beijing has forced the PLA to divest its business interests, the generals have more time to overhaul their commands. The army has already built up a respectable capacity in the short-range conventional missiles needed to attack Taiwan. The Defense Ministry has bought four modern submarines and is haggling over two missile-firing destroyers from Russia, which could be the start of a long-term plan to build a working on such Buck Rogers stuff as anti-satellite laser weapons. ''This is an area where it can at least reach rough parity,'' says one China watcher. Clinton Administration officials admit China's buildup bears watching. The U.S. itself may not be threatened anytime soon. But over the long haul, the PLA's modernization could drastically alter the balance of power in Asia...."

London financial Times 2/26/99 James Kynge "…Beijing made a veiled threat yesterday to transfer missile technology to unspecified third countries if the US persisted with a controversial plan to provide a missile defence shield for some of China's neighbours, including Taiwan. China also launched a strong verbal attack on the US, saying that Washington's decision this week to block the sale of a satellite to a Chinese-led corporation would have a negative effect on trade and economic co-operation. Beijing's reaction to the possibility that Taiwan, China's rival since 1949, may be included in a US-backed Theatre Missile Defence (TMD) system has been uncompromising. Officials said a TMD shield for Taiwan, Japan and South Korea would be seen as the start of a cold war policy of containment against China by the US, and could accelerate the regional arms build-up…."

Christian Science Monitor 3/4/99 Ann Scott Tyson "…By far the most sensitive issue for debate - and one that carries the greatest risk of inciting a US-China conflict - is whether the United States should include Taiwan under a missile-defense umbrella. China, determined to reunify with the island it considers a renegade province, bitterly opposes such a US move… Most immediately, China's military buildup is aimed at securing its sovereignty claims in a distinct zone of influence that includes Taiwan and the South China Sea. In the long run, however, it is designed to establish China as the Asian superpower - at the expense of the United States, experts say…. Beijing's military modernization - and especially the buildup and development of ballistic and cruise missiles able to strike Taiwan - has recently brought this conflict over strategic visions into sharp relief. Experts agree that China is engaged in a long-term effort to upgrade the quality and numbers of its ballistic and cruise missiles, partly in an effort to intimidate pro-independence forces on the island of Taiwan….But debate is raging in the US foreign-policy community - specifically between the State Department and Pentagon - over whether embracing Taiwan with TMD would ultimately hurt or help US interests. One view maintains that TMD for Taiwan would push China to accelerate its missile build-up, halt its cooperation with the US in weapons nonproliferation, and spur an arms race… "

Reuters 3/4/99 Alice Hung "…`It's no secret the defence budget revealed by the Chinese communists only reflects part of their actual spending so as to avoid international criticism,'' said the ministry official, who asked not to be identified by name. ``Based on our long-term observations, they normally spend three times as much,'' the official said. (note: which would be 37.8 billion US) Analysts say a top priority of China's defence spending is building the capacity to use force to take Taiwan, which it has regarded as a renegade province it became estranged from the mainland at the end of a civil war in 1949…."

Reuters 3/5/99 "…A senior Chinese official warned the United States Friday that offering to shelter Taiwan under a missile defense umbrella would be the "last straw'' and lead to serious consequences. The official, speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity, said such a move would mean a direct U.S. military presence in Taiwan and encourage independence for the Nationalist-ruled island. He said the Theater Missile Defense plan amounted to missile proliferation since the technologies were related…. The official lashed out at reports from the United States that China was massing ballistic missiles aimed at Taiwan. Some U.S. politicians have said the reported build-up justified offering Taiwan a missile defense umbrella. "Whether we should deploy missiles on our own territory is our own business,'' the official said, warning Washington to keep its "hands off.'' Since Japan already has rockets, TMD would give it "both the spear and the shield,'' the official said. It would "enhance military cooperation between Japan and the United States and we don't like it,'' he added…."

SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST 3/5/99 Jason Blatt "…Taiwanese authorities yesterday were reported to have arrested three mainland spies who tried to sneak on to the island in a fishing boat. The three were caught bringing in significant quantities of explosives and were being held in a detention centre for illegal immigrants pending an investigation, the China Times Express said. Its report came a day after Justice Minister Yeh Chin-fong confirmed the recent arrest of two men, including a Hong Kong resident, in connection with a separate case involving alleged acts of espionage directed against Taiwan's armed forces…."

Drudge Report 3/7/99 "…China renewed its warnings to the U.S. Sunday over the possible development of a U.S. missile defense system in Asia, suggesting that the inclusion of Taiwan in the project would constitute an infringement of China's sovereignty. Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan: "If some people intend to include Taiwan under theater missile defense, that would amount to an encroachment on China's sovereignty and territorial integrity." He added that would prompt a ``strong reaction" from the Chinese government and the people, reports Monday's FINANCIAL TIMES…."

Kyodo News Service 3/13/99 "…Former Chinese Ambassador to Japan Xu Dunxin has warned against a visit to Japan by Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui, a Taiwanese newspaper reported Saturday. Such a visit ''would invite stronger consequences than those after Lee's visit to the United States,'' the United Daily News quoted Xu as saying.

China protested Lee's unofficial 1995 visit to the U.S. to make a speech at Cornell University, with cross-straits relations souring after the landmark visit. Following the trip, Beijing conducted military exercises targeted at Taiwan and called off a high-level meeting between officials from cross-straits exchange organizations…."

Reuters 3/24/99 "…Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Jesse Helms, a North Carolina Republican, and Sen. Robert Torricelli, a New Jersey Democrat, teamed up to sponsor the Taiwan Security Enhancement Act. The bill, introduced in a growing congressional climate of hostility toward China amid spying charges, would authorize the sale to Taiwan of a broad array of defense items, including missile defense systems and advanced air-to-air missiles. It also seeks to strengthen the process for defense sales to Taiwan, Helms said, requiring the president to report to Congress annually on Taiwan's defense requests and to justify any rejections of arms sales to Taiwan…."

CAN 3/29/99 "…Chen, who came to New York to attend celebrations marking the 102 birthday of former ROC first lady Madame Chiang Kai-shek, said high-level dialogue between the Republic of China and the United States has proceeded smoothly. Nevertheless, Chen said a bilateral agreement between the two sides has banned him from divulging any details about the such meetings, including the persons involved, the venue, the date and the content of their talks. Chen flew back to his Washington office Monday afternoon…."

China News 3/30/99 "…President Lee Teng-hui has called for a halt to the prolonged debates on issues related to Taiwan's plan to take part in the US-initiated Theater Missile Defense (TMD) project because the debate has increased tension in Taipei's relations with Washington and Beijing, government sources said yesterday The sources told the United Daily News that Washington had grown impatient with the extensive debate in Taipei on the pros and cons of its participation in the project, even though the project is still up in the air Taiwan authorities were also troubled by repeated warnings from Beijing that Taiwan's participation in the project, if realized, would have serious consequences on cross-strait relations…"

Christian Science Monitor 4/7/99 Lorna Hahn "The Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) of 1979 was passed after the Carter administration switched the official US recognition from Taipei to Beijing. The act allows the US to continue economic and cultural relations with Taiwan, and permits the US to sell Taiwan enough weapons to defend itself. Yet China is demanding that the US deny Taiwan additional missile defenses, thus leaving it vulnerable to the newly deployed ballistic missiles along China's southern coast. In effect, China is asking the US government to violate the TRA. This is after China has enhanced its own missile capabilities through the alleged theft of American technology and demonstrated its willingness to use missiles to intimidate Taiwan in March 1996. The US should not only refuse to bow to these latest Chinese demands, it should instead ask China to recognize that the TRA is American law - which the US government is obliged to obey - if it wants the US to continue to recognize and follow its "one China" policy."

NewsMax 4/13/99 "...Before Zhu left Washington for a 10-day tour of America, he and Bill Clinton held a joint press conference, during which a chilling verbal exchange took place -- one which, for unknown reasons, was either not mentioned at all in press reports or mentioned only in passing. When Zhu was asked what China intended to do about Taiwan, he reminded us that Abraham Lincoln "resorted to the use of force and fought a war for that, for maintaining the unity of the United States." Clinton countered that the comparison was invalid. One does not have to be a Confucian scholar to understand that Zhu threw down the gauntlet. He told us, in effect, that Taiwan belongs to China and will be retaken -- by war, if necessary. Clinton lamely contested the "right" of China to do that. t this moment, China is placing missile batteries opposite Taiwan. When -- not if -- the assault begins, America cannot fulfill its commitment to defend Taiwan without putting the American mainland in jeopardy. Chinese missiles, loaded with multiple nuclear warheads, can now reach Los Angeles and San Francisco, thanks to the critical technology China stole from us due to sloppy security practices and bought from us due to corrupt trade policies...."

STRATFOR's Global Intelligence Update 4/13/99 "...A meeting among the defense ministers of Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and China scheduled for April 14-15 has been postponed. The Tass news agency cited Russian Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev as emphasizing that the reason for the postponement was not political. Instead, Sergeyev said the meeting was delayed because the Kazakh minister was sick and the Chinese minister could not make it due to "emerging circumstances." What these emerging circumstances are was not specified, and it raises the intriguing question of what could be happening at precisely this time that is important enough to keep the Defense Minister from this meeting.....There are several possible emerging circumstances in China. Following Chinese Prime Minister Zhu Rongji's comment in Washington last week that China has "never undertaken to renounce the use of force" in pursuing reunification with Taiwan, the Taiwan Defense Ministry has vowed to go ahead with defense exercises beginning later this month. Han Kuang 15 will be the first live-fire defense exercise to be held by Taiwan in the Taiwan Strait and on Jinmen Island (just a few miles off the Chinese coast) since the 1995-96 Chinese launch of a ballistic missile into the Taiwanese shipping lanes. Han Kuang 15 is scheduled for June, but smaller live-fire exercises will be held on Penghu Island and Jinmen Island in April and May. During the 1995-96 escalation of tensions, the U.S. responded by sending two carrier groups in to the area. However, due to the rotation of forces and the ongoing NATO campaign in Yugoslavia, the U.S. does not have a carrier group on station in Asia at this time. Were tensions to rise again, the nearest available carrier would be the USS Carl Vinson, currently en route from Tasmania and due in Bremerton, Washington, on May 6. However, as these exercises are still some time off, this is not likely the immediate reason for the postponement of the Chinese Defense Minister's trip to Moscow. ...."

Christian Science Monitor 4/8/99 Cameron Barr Freeper Stand Watch Listen "...EXCERPTS "Although Chinese leaders have denied a buildup, media reports citing intelligence sources have said that China is increasing the number of missiles it deploys near Taiwan. Military analysts question whether China has the strength to prevail in an invasion of Taiwan, but its missiles provide a constant source of political leverage over an island that must continually worry about Chinese intentions as it ponders whether to declare outright independence from China. A missile defense system would weaken Chinese leverage...."

www.insidechina.com /(Reuters) 4/21/99 Freeper Revel "…Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji ended his North American visit on a blunt note on Tuesday, rebuking pro-Taiwan independence protesters and warning China has never ruled out force to regain its breakaway province. …"

Washington Times 4/23/99Bill Gertz and Rowan Scarborough Freeper Stand Watch Listen "...EXCERPTS "The Clinton administration is continuing to deny vital defensive weapons to Taiwan. An inter-agency group agreed this week to reject a request from the island nation for U.S. military equipment needed to defend against China's People's Liberation Army. U.S. government officials tell us the White House and State Department, fearful of upsetting the Chinese government, are opposing the sale of a long-range phased-array radar that could provide early warning of Chinese missile attacks. The radar is an urgent need because China is deploying up to 650 M-11 and M-9 short-range missiles opposite Taiwan over the next six years, according to a recent report by the Defense Intelligence Agency. The pro-China officials fear the radar will be used for Taiwan's missile defenses, systems which Beijing vehemently opposes."..."

Washington Times 4/23/99 Bill Gertz Rowan Scarborough "...The Clinton administration is continuing to deny vital defensive weapons to Taiwan. An inter-agency group agreed this week to reject a request from the island nation for U.S. military equipment needed to defend against China's People's Liberation Army. U.S. government officials tell us the White House and State Department, fearful of upsetting the Chinese government, are opposing the sale of a long-range phased-array radar that could provide early warning of Chinese missile attacks. The radar is an urgent need because China is deploying up to 650 M-11 and M-9 short-range missiles opposite Taiwan over the next six years, according to a recent report by the Defense Intelligence Agency. The pro-China officials fear the radar will be used for Taiwan's missile defenses, systems which Beijing vehemently opposes. "This long-range radar was a high priority of the Taiwanese and it doesn't have anything to do with offensive arms," said one official critical of the decision. "It would give 21 million people five minutes to duck and run."..."

Washington Times 4/28/99 Richard D. Fisher "...A Pentagon report to Congress in February states, "Taiwan's most significant vulnerability is its limited capacity to defend against the growing arsenal of Chinese ballistic missiles." But if some administration officials get their way in arms talks with Taiwan this week, Taipei will be denied two radar systems that could enhance its future capability to defend against those same Chinese missiles. According to media reports the Pentagon has estimated that by 2005 China could deploy up to 650 short-range ballistic missiles against Taiwan. One such missile, the 360-mile range DF-15, was fired near Taiwan 10 times in July 1995 and March 1996 to intimidate Taiwan's people and its political leaders. In 1996 the DF-15 was an effective but not too accurate missile. In the future, the DF-15 could be improved with guidance systems that use signals from American or Russian navigation satellites to achieve accuracy sufficient to target specific buildings in cities or on military bases.... American support for Taiwan is strongly implied by the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act (TRA), which states that the United States will "consider an effort to determine the future of Taiwan by other than peaceful means . . . of grave concern to the United States." The TRA also stipulates that the United States will "provide Taiwan arms of a defensive character." The TRA turned 20 on April 10, and in a letter issued April 14 President Clinton credited the TRA with being "instrumental . . . in preserving peace and stability in Asia." Mr. Clinton is correct. But as seen so many times before, his administration's actions belie his rhetoric. In arms talks with Taiwan this week it is reported that officials in the State Department and the White House are opposing the sale of two radar systems to Taiwan. These radar area phased-array system that would enhance the capability of U.S. Patriot anti-tactical ballistic missiles that Taiwan has already purchased, and an AEGIS naval phased-array radar that Taiwan would fit to a destroyer-sized ship. These radars are utterly defensive weapons and thus consistent with the TRA. Should the administration refuse the sale of radar that Taiwan has requested, the most likely reason will be to avoid angering China. Such a decision would mark an American capitulation to China's loud and threatening diplomatic campaign this year against U.S. missile defense plans in Asia. To do so would also advance two key Chinese ambitions: to weaken Taiwan and to weaken the U.S. alliance system in Asia...."

Agence France Presse 4/28/99 "....China has set up an exercise ground which is an exact replica of rival Taiwan's largest military airport to stage mock invasion exercises, a military analyst warned Wednesday. "The maneuver's venue was set up two years ago in China's northwestern province of Gansu," Professor Chung Chien of National Tsing Hwa University, told AFP. "The military has been keeping an eye on the setup for a while," said Chung, also a professor with Taiwan's War College and Armed Forces University. Paratroopers from the People's Liberation Army (PLA), coupled with other combat units, had used the exercise ground, which is a full-size duplicate of Chingchuankang Airport in central Taiwan, in several drills, he said. Defense ministry spokesman Kung Fan-ding told reporters that he was was "not at all surprised to read such reports now that Beijing has refused to renounce the use of force" in solving its disputes with Taiwan. China has pledged to attack Taiwan should the island declare formal independence from the "motherland." Taiwan and the mainland were split in 1949 at the end of a civil war. "The military has adopted counter-measures against any possible action or sabotage the Chinese communist forces could launch," Kung said. ...."

Reuters 4/30/99 "...The United States plans to sell an early-warning radar system to Taiwan that would enable it to monitor the launch of Chinese ballistic missiles or bomber jets, the New York Times reported Friday. Beijing, which views Taiwan as a rogue province, has already protested the move, the newspaper said. Some Clinton administration officials have also opposed the plan on the grounds that it could worsen already prickly relations between China and the United States, the newspaper reported.....The radar system, which could be worth hundreds of millions dollars to the U.S defense industry, would provide Taiwan with several minutes' warning in the event of a launch of ballistic missiles on the mainland, the newspaper said...... ``We have made serious representations with the U.S. side,'' Yu said. ``We say that any arms sales to Taiwan by any country in the world constitutes an infringement on Chinese sovereignty, an interference in our internal affairs.'' ....'

Reuters 4/30/99 C.C. Yao Freeper crypt2k "..."More than 500 soldiers deployed heavy artillery and M60A3 tanks on a beach at Penghu, a Taiwan-held island of fishermen and farmers midway between Taiwan and the mainland, to test their readiness to fend off a maritime landing force." ..."

Chinatimes 5/5/99 AFP "...Three mainland Chinese have been arrested for spying on a Taiwan air base which houses a newly formed wing of F-16 fighters, officials and newspapers said Tuesday. Premier Vincent Siew told shocked legislators there was firm evidence against the three. The three Chinese, who were ostensibly in the island visiting relatives, were taken into custody on April 28 by the military, the United Daily News quoted intelligence sources as saying. "The three suspects were likely to gather information on training and deployment of the US-made F-16 fighters," the paper said. They were discovered taking pictures while illegally working for an construction project at the air base at Hualien in eastern Taiwan, it said. Air force Major General Lai Chin-chun said the three suspects were being questioned and security had been stepped up around the base...."

Reuters 5/9/99 Jeffrey Parker "...An explosion of anti-western anger across urban China has set off internal alarm bells in Taiwan, which, along with Tibet, lies at the heart of Beijing's opposition to NATO's air attacks on Yugoslavia. Taiwan media gave top coverage to the U.S.-led alliance's Friday bombing of China's Belgrade embassy, which NATO has called a ``tragic mistake'' but which left four Chinese dead, and the near-rioting it sparked in Beijing and many other Chinese cities. Taiwan commentators said China's state-controlled media were playing with fire by whipping up nationalist, anti-western feelings that they said encouraged mobs of irate students to attack U.S. and other western diplomatic outposts....``If mainland authorities aren't careful, these sentiments could ultimately end up turning against them,'' Taipei's China Post said in an editorial...."

The Nation (Thailand) 5/13/99 "....Among the many acute policy differences between the United States and China, none has more potential for serious trouble than the complex issue of whether certain Asian nations need theatre missile defence systems, known as TMDs....More provocative is talk of helping Taiwan acquire one. ''That will completely disrupt the current world situation and instead a new cold war will appear,'' warns Wang Daohan, China's senior negotiator with Taiwan. Beijing fears that, protected from possible Chinese missile attack, Taiwan might declare independence. Premier Zhu Rongji has said that the provision of such technology would be an interference in Chinese domestic affairs. Others have warned that China might then upgrade its offensive capability, perhaps by adding multiple war heads to its missiles launching a dangerous Asian arms race....."

Chinatimes 5/13/99 AFP "...China may launch an "information war", including the use of computer viruses to paralyse command systems, before an invasion of Taiwan, a top military leader warned Wednesday. "A massive information attack may lead to a chaos here," Chief of the General Staff General Tang Yao-ming told a seminar. "And when that happens, it would be the occasion for the enemy to attack Taiwan." Taiwan's energy, transportation and banking systems could be China's targets in staging an information war, Tang said...."

Chinatimes 5/13/99 AFP "...Taiwan Wednesday denied reports it would allow visits by a United Nations arms inspection group but reiterated its official line that it does not make chemical weapons. "Now that the Republic of China (Taiwan) is not a signatory to the UN Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) it cannot possibly agree to such inspection," the defense ministry said in a statement. "Yet as a member of the international community, we will continue to abide by the CWC rules. "We will by no means manufacture and nor will we own chemical weapons." The ministry conceded efforts have been devoted to the manufacturing of "protection gear" for use in nuclear and biochemical warfare and to the conduct of training programs...."

www.scmp.com 5/18/99 AFP "...Taiwan's military authorities have approved plans to expand the island's largest naval base to pave the way for the acquisition of American-built Aegis destroyers, it was reported yesterday. The expansion plans for Tsoying harbour would cost an estimated NT$30 billion (HK$6.9 billion) the Independence Evening Post said...."

China Times 5/19/99 AFP "...President Lee Teng-hui on Tuesday showed off the "muscle" of Taiwan's revamped defences on islands close to the Chinese mainland. Dozens of US-made M60-A3 tanks, TOW anti-tank missiles, AH-1W attack helicopters, armoured personnel vehicles, rockets and cannons for an armored brigade were on display after recent military drills on islands in the Taiwan Strait. "I have been deeply impressed by the aviation and armored infantry brigades in the inspections," Lee said at the Wuteh base on Pengu. "Today's review of weaponry and personnel once more shows the muscle of the newly formed combined brigades," he added. Taiwan, which always has one eye on any hint of a threat from China's huge military, has staged a sweeping restructuring of its armed forces...."

Arizona Republic 5/16/99 Gary Weiand Freeper Stand Watch Listen "...That statement assumes that China means to dominate the East. Is that Western bias speaking, or can we be morally certain that China is an imperial, expansionist state? We have been told that Chinese leaders regard themselves as inheritors of a temporarily dispossessed Middle Kingdom that naturally dominates Asia. If so, then China, like Japan in 1941, aims to push us back to California. ...China argues that Taiwan is as much a part of the nation as its mainland and that reunification is an internal affair, but then goes on to add that America has no stake in the matter. Both propositions are false...."

China Times 5/26/99 AFP "...Taiwan's China Airlines (CAL) plans to order several aircraft from US-based Boeing Co. for four billion US dollars as part of its expansion plans, the Economic Daily News reported Tuesday. The deal for the Boeing 777 passenger jets and Boeing 747 cargo planes is expected to be announced in June, the paper said, without specifying the number of aircraft involved....The expansion is part of CAL's preparation for an expected resumption of air links between Taiwan and mainland China in the next few years, he said...."

China Times 5/25/99 "...Beijing might use nuclear weapons against Taiwan, particularly its newly developed neutron bombs which can inflict heavy fatalities without causing much material damage, according to a US Congress report released on Monday...The report said that the neutron bomb packs more radiation, but has less explosive power, than a conventional nuclear device, which means it can cause heavy casualties while leaving infrastructure largely intact....Even now, the report went on, plans to deploy neutron bombs might be on Beijing's drawing board. Although Beijing has promised "no first strike" of nuclear weapons, this policy only applies to foreign states, which, according to Beijing, does not include Taiwan...."

Chinatimes 5/26/99 AFP "...The Philippines on Tuesday played down a row over its objections to a visit by Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui, saying it did not expect Taiwan to take any retaliatory action. Presidential spokesman Fernando Barican said he did not expect the issue to "force Taiwan to consider action against us. On the contrary, the Philippines is looking forward to enhanced relations with Taiwan." In Taipei Taiwan's parliament Tuesday asked the government to get tough with the Philippines...."

Chinatimes 5/28/99 "...Taiwan on Thursday staged a live-fire exercise on an island close to the Chinese mainland, as the nationalist government assessed the implications of China's growing nuclear capability. In an anti-landing drill at dawn, six companies of Taiwanese troops rained cannons, rockets and guns on a mock enemy trying to invade Kinmen (Quemoy), which at one point is just 3,000 meters (3,270 yards) from the Chinese city of Xiamen. The army said that for the first time US-made M60-A3 tanks were used in maneuvers...."

www.scmp.com 5/27/99 Reuters "...A US court ruling that China's status as a signatory to the Warsaw Convention does not automatically cover Taiwan threatens serious political and trade repercussions. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, ruling on the loss of an US$83,000 (HK$642,000) shipment of Taiwanese computer chips, said it found no precedent for assuming that US policy held Taiwan to be "party to any treaty signed by China". "We caution, however, that we do not independently determine the status of Taiwan. Instead, we merely recognise and defer to the [US] political departments' position that Taiwan is not bound by China's adherence to the Warsaw Convention," said the judges. Along with challenging China's diplomatic dominion over Taiwan, the ruling opens up a host of problems in burgeoning air cargo and passenger traffic between the US and Taiwan, lawyers said afterwards...."

5/27/99 AP Freeper Thanatos "...The Pentagon today recommended sale of 240 Hellfire missiles to Taiwan in a deal worth about $23 million. The proposed sale also includes spare parts and related equipment for the missiles, which Taiwan would use aboard two types of military helicopters. The missiles are fired from the air against targets on the ground...."

NewsMax.com 5/30/99 Inside Cover "...And what about the ever popular claim that there's no evidence the Chinese have actually implemented the high tech they got from us? Tell it to the Taiwanese. Even a cursory reading of the Cox Report (i.e., the "Overview") reveals that the Chinese stole guidance technology from advanced aircraft like the F-14, F-16 and even the F-117 Stealth fighter -- which, the report states, "is directly applicable to medium and short range PLA missiles, such as the CSS-6 (also known as the M-9)". The Cox report continues: "CSS-6 missiles were, for example, fired in the Taiwan Strait over Taiwan's main ports in the 1996 crisis and confrontation with the United States." What's worth noting here is that the CSS-6 (M-9) is nuclear capable, a fact which made U.S. defense experts extremely nervous when they saw that particular missile soaring over a Pacific Island we have a treaty obligation to defend...."

Reuters 6/1/99 Freeper Thanatos "...China on Tuesday demanded the US cancel plans to sell air-to-surface anti-tank weapons to Taiwan to avoid ''new damage'' to strained Sino-US ties. ''The Chinese side demands the US government abide by the three Sino-US joint communiques, especially the August 17 communique, and cancel the sale to prevent new damage to ties,'' ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzao said...."

Long Beach Press Telegram 6/4/99 Bill Hillburg "...Sources familiar with leasing plans for the closed Naval Shipyard said Thursday there are no Chinese ties to AMC Long Beach, the company that is the port's reported choice to reopen part of the base. This may clear the way for AMC to open a Long Beach shipyard that would employ up to 600 workers, including a number of former Naval Shipyard employees, on ship repair and barge-building projects. AMC, an affiliate of San Francisco-based Astoria Metals Corp., came under a cloud of suspicion on May 18 after port officials allegedly told several City Council members that the company was being financed by mainland China's Communist regime. The charge was hotly denied by John Pickering, president of AMC Long Beach, and other company officials. They said their $10 million in start-up capital was all coming either from U.S. sources or from Taiwan, island home of the pro-U.S. Republic of China. "We are not all tied up with the Chinese Communists," said Pickering, a retired Navy captain and the last commander of the Naval Shipyard, which shut down in 1997....."

Koenig's International News 6/10/99 Charles Smith "...According to Defense Secretary Perry, the U.S. contact for PLA General Ding was Barry Carter, Commerce Deputy Undersecretary of Export Administration. According to Federal Election Commission records, Barry Carter is a DNC donor and currently a Professor of Law at Georgetown University. In 1994, Carter worked at the Commerce Dept. under Ron Brown. Barry Carter exchanged correspondence with several major China-Gate players including PLA Lt. General Huai Guomo, PLA Major General Deng Yousheng, Ken Kay, a lobbyist for Sun Computers, and Eden Woon of the Washington State China Relations Council. The 1995 PLA list given to Carter is part of a series of letters between the Commerce Dept., various Chinese Army officers and anxious U.S. vendors. The 1995 list provided to Carter included "China YuanWang (Group)" and several other well know Chinese Army owned companies such as "NORINCO", "China National Nuclear", "China State Shipbuilding" and "China Aerospace." Carter also included his own personal touch to the list, by providing the phone, fax and address for his PLA contact in Beijing, "Lieutenant Colonel Wang Zhongchao", and his contact at the Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C., "Colonel Xu Cunyong." Carter provided the list of PLA companies and contacts to Eden Woon, donor to U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Executive Director of the Washington State China Relations Council (WSCRC) and Director of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce..... In December 1995, Eden Woon and the WSCRC hosted a delegation of Chinese Army representatives from PLA owned companies. Woon took them on a tour of the Washington state companies anxious to do business with the Chinese Army. The 1995 delegation to Washington state included "Feng Hui, Staff officer" of the COSTIND "Foreign Affairs Dep't." Feng Hui is better known as Major Feng Hui of the Chinese Army. Major Feng was accompanied by other officers from the PLA unit COSTIND, and a host of engineering specialists from various PLA owned companies, including "Chengdu Aircraft plant", the "Jiangnan Shipyard" and "No. 614 Institute", a PLA institute staffed by weapons experts. There is a clear reason why Major Feng trusted Eden Woon to help the Chinese Army do business in Seattle and beyond. Woon's radical views of U.S./Sino relations do not include a free Taiwan. In 1997, Woon and the Washington State China Relations Council sponsored a conference that included U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA). On October 14, 1997, at the close of the conference, the participants issued a report that states, "The U.S. should ensure that Taiwan understands that if conflicts arise (especially if apparently provoked by Taiwan), it cannot necessarily count on the U.S. coming to the rescue." ..."

Washington Times 3/9/97 William Triplett "......* Arms sales to Taiwan: Chinese diplomats tell their American counterparts that preventing American arms sales to Taiwan is their No. 1 objective with us. President Bush approved the sale of 150 F-16s to Taiwan in 1992 but no significant new arms sales to Taiwan have been permitted by President Clinton...."

6/16/99 AFP "….Taiwan intelligence authorities are investigating a computer company suspected of being infiltrated by mainland China, it was reported Tuesday. The National Security Council was alerted when a Taiwanese printed circuit board company operating in the mainland recently took control of a local computer firm listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange, the state-run Central News Agency said. It said the Chinese firm was capitalized at only 100 million Taiwan dollars ($3.08 million), only one-tenth of that of the company it took over. "After a low-key probe, the council discovered the money was supplied by the Chinese authorities," the agency said…"

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