The Economist magazine said in an editorial that China should not threaten Taiwan with the use of force simply because President Chen Shui-bian (
The magazine said that what President Chen said was "surely right," although it questioned the wisdom of angering Beijing.
"It is merely a recognition of reality to say that China and Taiwan are two states, not one," the magazine said.
Taiwan may not have diplomatic relations with many countries because of Beijing's relentless bullying of weak-spirited governments everywhere, but Taiwan is a member of the WTO and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group, the editorial said.
In addition, Taiwan competes in the Asian and Olympic games. It has a freely elected president and a freely elected legislature, and its 23 million people enjoy rights and prosperity unknown to the 1.2 billion people in China, the magazine said.
The editorial warned that by routinely threatening to use force against Taiwan, China is equating itself with countries led by the likes of Slobodan Milosevic or Saddam Hussein.
"Until it desists from such talk -- even if talk is all it is -- China can never be a full member of the community of civilized nations," it said.
Despite Beijing's warning to President Chen, the chances of a cross-strait war is remote, the magazine surmized.
"America, especially under President Bush, would certainly intervene on Taiwan's side," the magazine noted, adding that Taiwan has enough high-tech weapons to make it very difficult for China to pull off a successful invasion.
It added, however, that "the sharp rise in Beijing's military spending in recent years means this balance cannot be relied on indefinitely."
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