Editorial: Standing up to the schoolyard bully

Which country is the most powerful in Asia? China apparently thinks it is, given its imperious attitude and actions recently -- ordering other countries around as if it were the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland. During a meeting with his Japanese counterpart Makiko Tanaka in Hanoi on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan (唐家璇) used an imperative sentence -- in Japanese -- to "order" Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi not to go to worship at the Yasukuni shrine -- a Shinto temple dedicated to dead soldiers -- including some condemned as war criminals after World War II.

The Chinese say such visits lay the groundwork for a revival of Japanese militarism. "No opposition can stop me from visiting the shrine in a prime minister's capacity," was Koizumi's response.

Taiwan was a victim of World War II and many of its people find the Yasukuni shrine repulsive. However, Tang's overbearing behavior -- ignoring all diplomatic etiquette and making a rude demand of the Japanese prime minister -- is no less repulsive. It was exactly the same kind of hegemonic attitude held by Japan before World War II -- an attitude that led Tokyo to invade its Asian neighbors.

In hosting the Bo'ao Forum for Asia and organizing the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Beijing has demonstrated an ambition to expand its influence into Southeast and Central Asia. China also recently signed a friendship treaty with Russia. Bei-jing's hegemonic tentacles are inching their way across Asia. China also has more than 1,000 missiles aimed at Taiwan, Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia -- putting much of Asia under a Chinese military shroud. Not surprisingly, the "China threat" has evolved from an academic debate topic into a potential crisis that countries and military institutions around the world are working hard to prevent.

US President George W. Bush also foresees Asia as the potential source of a global security crisis with China at its core. Since coming to office, Bush has worked to readjust US strategic policy, shifting its focus from Europe to Asia. During an interview on Tuesday, US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld stressed the need to maintain a strong US military presence in Asia in order to deter any future threat posed by China. Bush's team of Cold-War era warriors -- who have an in-depth understanding of the nature of communism and ample experience in real-world maneuvers -- have reversed Bill Clinton's appeasement policy toward China. The US government's readjustment of its Asia policy reflects both historical insight and a strategic vision for the future.

However, the US cannot possibly shoulder the burden of Asia's security alone. Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the Philippines are among the frontline countries facing the China threat. That's why President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) has championed US-Japan-Taiwan military cooperation, especially participation in the US missile defense system.

Taiwan's security cannot be separated from the US and Japan. Without Taiwan, a US-Japan-South Korea security system will have a gaping hole at a strategic point. Letting Taiwan into the missile defense system is necessary for the system's success -- and inevi-table. John Bolton, the US undersecretary of state for arms control and international security affairs, has said that the US would not rule out discussing the possibility of cooperation with Taiwan's authorities.

Beijing's claim that Taiwan's participation in a missile defense system will trigger an arms race is simply more of the illogical posturing that passes for thinking in China. Chinese hegemonism and its missile threat are driving other countries into a collective defense. Before wagging a finger at Japan and ordering Kiozumi not to revive Japanese militarism, Tang and other Beijing leaders would do well to engage in some soul-searching about the rise of Chinese militarism, which is today's real threat to international security.