Posted on 06/25/2002 5:48:07 AM PDT by Stand Watch Listen
As Americans brace themselves for terrorist activity at home, one of America's largest trading partners – China – is engaging in "a policy of intervention and naval adventurism," which could draw the U.S. into a major war in the Asia/Pacific region.
China is "seeking the subservience of mainland Southeast Asia to Chinese national needs," and is "the main obstacle to democratic reform in mainland Southeast Asia today," according to a report in the China Reform Monitor, a publication of the American Foreign Policy Council.
For the first time in that nation's long history, Chinese naval capability now extends into the Indian Ocean. With the cooperation of Burmese government, the Chinese navy now has the use of ports on the Bay of Bengal, with unfettered access to the wider seas to the south.
Beijing's expansion is also occurring at the expense of fellow communist states.
Vietnam, which, like Burma, borders China on the south, and historically has been able to defend itself against incursions of its much larger neighbor, ceded a portion of its territory to China in a secret 1999 treaty, according to China Reform Monitor.
Beijing's continuing large military outlays continue to cause serious concern among its neighbors, especially to the island of Taiwan, which mainland China asserts is a renegade province.
Taiwan served as the refuge for the anti-Communist forces of Nationalist Chinese leader, Chiang Kai-shek, following the communist triumph on the mainland in 1949. U.S. naval forces prevented communist forces from pursuing Nationalist troops, and remain a barrier to a mainland attack.
The government on Taiwan refers to itself as the Republic of China (ROC), and, until 1971, the U.S. recognized the ROC as the sole legitimate government of China. Over the years, Taiwan has developed a market economy, and a democratic form of government.
After the U.S. withdrew official diplomatic recognition of the ROC in 1978, America, nevertheless, pledged continuing military assistance to Taiwan, and confirmed its opposition to the forcible reunification of Taiwan and the mainland.
Mainland China has never renounced its claim to the right to take Taiwan by force, and, consequently, Taiwan lives precariously under the threat of imminent communist Chinese invasion.
Following Washington's withdrawal of diplomatic recognition, Taiwan has sought to clarify its position within the nations of the world. In 1999, then-president Lee Teng-hui declared that Taiwan had a "special state to state relationship" with the mainland, a move that comes close to a declaration of independence.
The U.S. stated that it would not support an independent Taiwan, and Beijing threatened to invade the island if independence should be announced.
Tensions remain high between the island and the mainland, with current Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian condemning Beijing's military build-up as a "great threat to Taiwan's survival," according to Radio Taipei International, the official broadcasting service of the ROC.
U.S. ambassador to China, Charles Randt, recently reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to Taiwan, and referred to Beijing's approximately 350 missiles aimed at Taiwan, stating that they "do not help China's image as a peace seeker," Radio Taipei reported.
China also has conflicting territorial claims against the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei.
One of the most stunning – and contradictory – aspects of the communist Chinese build-up is the role of Russia.
Despite the May 2002 declaration between U.S. President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin of a "strategic partnership" between their two nations, Moscow has – and continues to be – the single most important source of technologically sophisticated military hardware.
Putin recently boasted that he has "big plans" for a substantial increase in Moscow's already considerable military cooperation with communist China. Russia, along with most of the former Soviet republics and allies, including Iran, is combining with China to form what may be called an "Eurasian empire" stretching over vast regions with incredible mineral wealth.
Any confrontation with China may as well involve Russia and its allies, backed up by the region's incredible natural resources.
Should Americans die in a conflict with China, much of the know-how and weaponry will have originated from our "strategic partner," Russia.
Yeah, Russia, and the guy that gave them advanced missile and warhead capability, Bill.
So what are our American Corporations doing to retard this?
ANSWER Running over each other to expand in China.
So what is our government doing to retard this?
ANSWER Offering Free trade and membership into the corrupt WTO.
What has the American Voter done to retard this?
ANSWER Re-elected the same people who support this and watched last night baseball game.
Depends on what you call "imminent" but not really true. If they had the capability to invade, which they don't, the accumulation of supplies and preparations would be impossible to hide from satellite and last for months. They can't roll out of bed tomorrow morning and say "Gee, let's invade Taiwan today!
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