It's a good move by President Bush...and China's shrieking shows that it's the dog that got hit by the rock. If china was strong, they wouldn't have to shriek.
Posted on 08/01/2005 3:05:12 PM PDT by Jeff Head
An unprecedented decision by the Bush administration to allow serving military officers to work at the United States' de facto embassy to Taiwan would "poison" ties between Beijing and Washington, China has charged.
For the first time since the U.S. ended its diplomatic recognition of Taiwan in favor of communist China almost 27 years ago, a serving military officer will shortly join the staff of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), a quasi-official organization set up by Congress to fulfill the functions of an embassy in Taipei.
Taiwanese media quoted AIT spokeswoman Nadine Saik as confirming that a U.S. Army colonel would soon take up the post of liaison affairs officer -- essentially a military attache.
Because of the unique nature of U.S. ties with Taiwan -- a self-ruling democracy China considers a renegade province -- AIT employees have historically been separated from U.S. government service for a period while based at the AIT.
But foreign relations authorization legislation approved by Congress in 2002 amended an earlier U.S. law to allow for the first time the assignment of active-duty military personnel to the AIT.
Late last year, Jane's Defense Weekly first reported that a change was in the offing and linked it to "growing unease over China's military ambitions in the Asia-Pacific region."
The report prompted an AIT representative to say the planned move was "simply an effort to promote administrative efficiency in personnel matters" and did not mean any change in policy regarding Taiwan.
Now that the personnel changeover is imminent, however, reaction from the mainland has been chilly.
The appointment of an active-service officer would "elevate U.S.-Taiwan military relations" and "poison Sino-U.S. ties that have been running smoothly," declared the state-run China Daily in an editorial.
"This reversal of a long-standing policy is dangerous as it marks closer military relations between the United States and Taiwan," it said, accusing the U.S. of interfering in what it called its internal affairs.
The Beijing mouthpiece also complained that the move would give "a much-needed shot in the arm" to Taiwan's "secessionists" -- a reference to those in Taiwan who would like to see the island's de facto independent status formalized.
"Taiwan is part of China. The United States knows and accepts this fact," China Daily said.
It urged the U.S. to "stop the double-dealing tactics" and "keep its hands off the island."
U.S. relations with Taiwan are governed by the Taiwan Relations Act, adopted in 1979 when Washington switched diplomatic recognition to Beijing.
Apart from establishing the AIT, the law commits the U.S. to helping Taiwan defend itself against unprovoked force and to provide the island with "arms of a defensive character."
Early in his first term, President Bush offered Taiwan its largest-ever arms package, including diesel-electric submarines for the first time.
Taiwan's opposition parties, which favor eventual reunification with China, are currently blocking a bill in parliament that would provide funding for the $15 billion package, arguing that the weapons are unnecessary and too expensive.
Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian told reporters last week that the mainland's military buildup endangered more than just Taiwan.
"The expansion of China's military ambition and capabilities constitutes a direct threat to democratic Taiwan and, more importantly, a potential danger to the security and peace of the Asia-Pacific region, and even of the world as a whole," he told the Foreign Correspondents' Club in Japan by video link.
"What is most worrisome for the international community is that China has been continuously upgrading the quality and quantity of its strategic guided-missile unit, allowing it to be capable of nuclear deterrence and counter-attack," Chen said.
On July 19, the Pentagon released a report on China's military developments, saying it now deploys an estimated 650-730 short-range ballistic missiles along the mainland coast opposite Taiwan.
Beijing's long-term goal was to project power well beyond Taiwan, said the report.
China strongly rejected the Pentagon assessment, and its ambassador in Washington, Zhou Wenzhong, lodged a "solemn representation" saying China threatened no one.
Zhou said the report was merely an attempt to provide an excuse to sell advanced weaponry to Taiwan and appealed to the U.S. to stop arms sales and military links with the island.
It's a good move by President Bush...and China's shrieking shows that it's the dog that got hit by the rock. If china was strong, they wouldn't have to shriek.
Good. Chinese must not be allowed to push around and threaten.
IMO, the moving of missiles threatening Taiwan is a defacto abrogation of the 1979 treaty.
In 1996, when Clinton sent the carrier there, the message was received loud and clear.
Firmness and resolve in the face of fascism is absolutely necessary. Yes, the Chinese are fascists. They may be communist in name.
FYI...GW making it harder and harder and more and more risky for the PRC to use force over Taiwan. This is a stick in the PRC's eye IMHO.
Exactly...the old guilty dog barking away.
IMHO, we should be just as firm on the nuclear issue when PRC general's threaten LA over Taiwan.
FYI.
...good! Now our President should declare recognition of Taiwan as a sovereign country, because it's the right thing to do.
^
Agreed, it would be great if someone similar to the Chinese General, say the head of WestPoint or the AFAcademy, made some pithy comments.
Many conflicting messages from China these days. Do they think an American Colonel in Taiwan will upset the military balance such as it is?
Is there any doubt that active duty Chinese military personnel are swarming all through the various
mainland organizations present on Taiwan?
Good work, Mr. President.
China's military window of opportunity has already closed.
China has 24 nuclear ICBM's capable of reaching the U.S.
The U.S. has a fleet of SM-3 equipped AEGIS warships at sea, and 18 land-based ICBM interceptors in place already.
Even if China expended its entire long-range nuclear ICBM's (leaving it no ability to respond to an American strike, an Indian strike, or a strike from a nuclear-armed Taiwan...even if China fired all 24 of those long-range ICBM's at us...its unlikely that any would get through our AEGIS SM-3 defenses...and if a few did, they'd be dealt with by our land-based ICBM interceptors.
Not to forget, China attacking its largest customer wouldn't exactly broadcast "brilliance" to the world at large.
...much less if such an attack was stopped cold with no U.S. damage.
IMHO, we are telling themn they will have to kill active duty American military personnel from the get go if they attack Taiwan, and that we will respond.
Amen...good work.
No. We are far too strong to need such pitiful "rah, rah" cheerleading.
Good! We should relocate troops from South Korea to Taiwan.
I agree.
Precisely.
Their comments were a "probe" to see if the U.S. would back down from PLA threats.
Moving active duty military to Taiwan just gave them their answer.
Move. Counter-move.
Now the PLA will adjust course accordingly.
Still, if we parked three or four or more AEGIS cruisers off the west coast, coupled with the land based leg, we have a good chance of stopping most if not all of them. Then we should literally slag China.
I do not believe they will play to our overwhelming strength. More likely it is just rhetoric to pump up their own people in preparation for playing to their own strength and that is conventional numbers in the litoral waters close to their shores.
This move by Bush is a direct statement that none of it will be tolerated IMHO.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.