Posted on 11/20/2004 8:55:57 PM PST by Lessismore
DAMAGE CONTROL: US President George W. Bush met the Chinese president in Chile yesterday, apparently voicing sustained opposition to Taiwan's independence
AP , SANTIAGO, CHILE
With fresh support from China in hand, US President George W. Bush hopes to minimize public differences with Asian allies over how to persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions and come back to the bargaining table.
On the sidelines of a weekend-long economic summit with Pacific Rim leaders, Bush met yesterday in quick succession with all four of the US' partners in now-stalled talks with the communist regime.
China was first up, and Chinese President Hu Jintao (JÀAÀÜ) said after the meeting, "We ... exchanged views on the question of Taiwan. I expressed my high appreciation to Bush's adherence to the `one China' policy and the three communiques, and to his opposition to [Taiwan's] independence."
A senior Chinese government official, appearing in Santiago on Friday, said China will push for North Korea to resume negotiations.
"I believe you can never push too hard for a good purpose," said Kong Quan, chief spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
Meetings with the leaders of Japan, South Korea and Russia were to follow.
Believing that having all five partners on the same page from a high-profile international summit will have an impact on North Korea, Bush's goal is a tough united front reinforcing a demand that North Korea completely give up its pursuit of nuclear weapons and insisting that any talks with Pyong-yang occur only with all the partners present.
With North Korea demanding economic aid and US guarantees of nonaggression as incentives, South Korea and China, in particular, have suggested it may be necessary to be more flexible.
"We've put forward a realistic proposal and we're not interested, none of us are interested, in sort of negotiating among ourselves at this point," a senior White House official said. "There is something concrete to talk about; the North Koreans need to come back to the table to talk about it."
But but but eleanor clift said nothing will come of this meeting.
Forgive me when I call you an idiot.
"Thank GOD Carter Powell is on the way OUT."
This sentence makes no sense.
You know part of the uncomfortable job of Secretary of State is putting forward the policy positions the USA has had for years and years. That would include Powell's statement on Taiwan. This was not him putting forward his own opinion, that was him putting forward the consistent policy of the United States. Can you criticise the policy without demonizing the spokesman?
Gosh, perhaps your handle would be more appropriately changed to "BIC" for a BIC is a d@mn good lighter!
Talked with loved one tonight who's likely moving to China soonish. Has visited in the last year.
Said there's abundant talk of China invading Taiwan even in 2005 and highly probable no later than 2006 so it doesn't sabotage the 2008 Olympics.
Evidently the talk on the Chinese street is frequently about such.
The Chinese street is not always 100% accurate. However, everyone knows someone working in some position to know. Many 'secrets' are routinely outted in China.
We shall see.
Simply stated, it's not going to happen.
Seems to still be an open question to me.
I believe there are lots of contingencies involved.
One of the important ones, imho, is prayer on the part of believers around the world.
I've seen prophetic messages in both directions--which affirms to me that the issue is very conditional.
I'm not optimistic. But, we shall see. I do believe that if they attack Taiwan, they will also attack the USA.
Certainly the puppet masters would be eager to have WWIV coerce the world's populace into the global government. They have been itching for it for quite some time.
I just don't know when God will allow it to cut loose.
I pray we have several more years of relative peace to work while there's still some 'light.'
Yes, I've read Poohbah and others insisting that China's not so stupid; China's military can't begin to match ours etc.
None of these analyses, imho, takes into adequate consideration Chinese pride and arrogant cussedness in the interest of national pride in addition to leadership pride. I still say--they'd easily lose more than 500,000,000 citizens just in the name of leadership OR national pride. And, sadly, a LOT of those citizens would also agree that it was a reasonable price to pay.
The economic thing would be far secondary and something they would feel they could easily overcome in a more than acceptably short time.
They somewhat reasonably see the USA as in inevitable decline and their star as rising economically, militarily and in terms of control of the planet. They are itching to make it a more overt reality and believe that nothing can stop them.
I'm more than quite confident of this analysis. I have far too many data points toward it over too many recent years of close observation and querying astute residents of Mainland China.
It is NOT going to happen, at least in our lifetime.
We shall see.
I hope you are right but believe you are wrong.
I am curious on what you base such a strong conviction!
Nothing can stop them but the fall of the USA economic system which is the integral part that maintains their optimistic growth outlook.
D@mn, that puts them in a "catch22" situation doesn't it?
Following Clintoons remarks, and following Powell's more recent remarks much independence talk BEGAN here in Taiwan.
Only when pushed to reunify with Red China do the average Taiwanese risk speaking in favor of independence.
By far the majority want to keep the status quo.
Common sense, (most of all) the understanding of what maintains the Chinese economy, and time spent in Hong Kong and Beijing.
They don't see it that way.
And, our X TRILLION debt doesn't help our side a bit.
They feel they will merely replace the USA as the world's leader economically and in virtually every other way. They see it as their due; their right; their ability and even as their DUTY.
Virtually every analysis I read on this matter seems to be very USA centric in a list of blinding ways. And, even a lot of experienced China Westerners can't seem to read many obvious signs. My only explanation beyond being spiritually blinded to the truths involved is a kind of wishful thinking on the part of Westerners who somewhat compulsively have to see China as terminally disadvantaged compared to us.
The Chinese certainly don't have that perspective.
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