China's rapidly strengthening military power is a matter of concern for Asian nations such as Taiwan and Japan. China is now adding a new fuse to the powder keg -- an anti-secession law, thereby making conflict in the Asia-Pacific region more possible.
During a meeting in Beijing to discuss national defense early this month, the US deputy under secretary of defense for Asia Pacific affairs, Richard Lawless, warned that China is "deliberately creating or raising tension in its relationship with Taiwan."
During a hearing with former CIA Director James Woolsey in the House of Representatives' Intelligence Committee recently, Woolsey included China among the greatest threats to the US, saying that when China is faced with hard-fought domestic issues, Taiwan and the US are its easiest targets. Robert Zoellick, recently appointed deputy secretary of state, has said that the US hopes that the anti-secession legislation issue will not cause China to act against US wishes. The co-chairman of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus, Steve Chabot, an Ohio Republican, has also proposed a bill to point out that China's anti-secession legislation will amount to unilateral change in the cross-strait status quo, that it conflicts with long-standing US cross-strait policy, and that the US should express its opposition.
CIA director Porter Goss said to the US Congress "if Beijing decides that Taiwan is taking steps toward a permanent separation that exceeds Beijing's tolerance ... China is prepared to respond with varying levels of force." Also, China's escalating military strength is jeopardizing the cross-strait military balance, and poses a threat to US interests in the region.
The conciliatory atmosphere resulting from the implementation of Lunar New Year charter and cargo flights has blinded Taiwanese to the conflict over the anti-secession law and anti-annexation law. This added tension is not because of democracy in Taiwan, but the lack of it in China. China may well have been going through a transformation under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping (
The purpose of enacting China's anti-secession law is to split Taiwan, dividing a main enemy from a secondary enemy on the island. The "main enemy" are those who espouse Taiwan's independence, while the "secondary enemy" are those who favor independence for the Republic of China (ROC). Beijing will first strike Taiwanese independence activists and then clamp down on ROC independence. This anti-secession law targets Taiwan, with the ultimate goal being to annex the island. People in Taiwan should be psychologically prepared and united in the face of this threat.
Although the anti-secession law is only a domestic law in China, when Beijing signs a joint communique on the establishment of diplomatic relations with other countries, they are expected to acknowledge, recognize and respect the idea that Taiwan is part of China.
Although China's hackneyed statement is not in accordance with the actual situation, China can still use such diplomatic communiques as a way to acquire support for the anti-secession law in the international community. Taiwan has to respond properly and be prepared for imminent legal and propaganda warfare.
On May 7, 1971, Henry Kissinger planned his first, ultra-secret mission to China and pondered whether it would be better to meet his Chinese interlocutors “in Pakistan where the Pakistanis would tape the meeting — or in China where the Chinese would do the taping.” After a flicker of thought, he decided to have the Chinese do all the tape recording, translating and transcribing. Fortuitously, historians have several thousand pages of verbatim texts of Dr. Kissinger’s negotiations with his Chinese counterparts. Paradoxically, behind the scenes, Chinese stenographers prepared verbatim English language typescripts faster than they could translate and type them
More than 30 years ago when I immigrated to the US, applied for citizenship and took the 100-question civics test, the one part of the naturalization process that left the deepest impression on me was one question on the N-400 form, which asked: “Have you ever been a member of, involved in or in any way associated with any communist or totalitarian party anywhere in the world?” Answering “yes” could lead to the rejection of your application. Some people might try their luck and lie, but if exposed, the consequences could be much worse — a person could be fined,
On May 13, the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment to Article 6 of the Nuclear Reactor Facilities Regulation Act (核子反應器設施管制法) that would extend the life of nuclear reactors from 40 to 60 years, thereby providing a legal basis for the extension or reactivation of nuclear power plants. On May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) legislators used their numerical advantage to pass the TPP caucus’ proposal for a public referendum that would determine whether the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant should resume operations, provided it is deemed safe by the authorities. The Central Election Commission (CEC) has
When China passed its “Anti-Secession” Law in 2005, much of the democratic world saw it as yet another sign of Beijing’s authoritarianism, its contempt for international law and its aggressive posture toward Taiwan. Rightly so — on the surface. However, this move, often dismissed as a uniquely Chinese form of legal intimidation, echoes a legal and historical precedent rooted not in authoritarian tradition, but in US constitutional history. The Chinese “Anti-Secession” Law, a domestic statute threatening the use of force should Taiwan formally declare independence, is widely interpreted as an emblem of the Chinese Communist Party’s disregard for international norms. Critics