The US Under-Secretary of Defense Policy Douglas J. Feith indicated on Dec. 9 that, during the first US-Sino defense consultative talks since US President George W. Bush took office, the US took the initiative to express concerns about China's continued missile deployment near the Taiwan Strait. The US also pointed out during the talks that such deployment was both menacing and against regional stability.
However, the Chinese side did not raise any proposal about decreasing its missile threat to Taiwan. According to Feith, the US reiterated its stance on the Taiwan issue during the meeting, but China continued to refuse to renounce the use of force to resolve cross-strait tensions. He described the Chinese attitude as unfortunate, but not surprising.
Feith also said that the US expressed concern about the Chinese missile deployment because the goal of such deployment is obviously to threaten and coerce Taiwan, which is not the right thing to do to reduce the tension and risks in the Taiwan Strait.
The defense consultative talks between the US and China were resumed for the first time after the relations between the two sides became tense over the collision of US and Chinese military jets in the South China Sea during April last year. Does the resumption of talks signify that military cooperation between the two sides has resumed after the Sept. 11 terrorist attack against the US?
The most sensitive issue in the US-Sino relationship is the Taiwan issue and it is a major international flashpoint. With respect to Taiwan, Chinese tactics have become more flexible and its strategy has shifted to an "economic unification campaign" supplemented the threat of military force.
The most recent national defense White Paper released by China reflects this two-fisted approach. On the one hand, the White Paper encourages cross-strait exchanges and three direct links. On the other hand, it opposes the US' offer of TMD assistance to Taiwan. During his summit meeting with US President George W. Bush in October, Chinese President Jiang Zemin (
While Jiang's proposal was not greeted with enthusiasm by the US, it suggested a Chinese intention and attempt to link the withdrawal of missiles deployed against Taiwan with US arms sales to Taiwan.
Therefore, whether during the bilateral defense consultative talks the Chinese delegate will officially adopt a strategy of linking the withdrawal of missiles with arms sales reduction had become an issue of much attention.
Actually, on the eve of the bilateral talks, the Taiwan Defense Review Web site also reported that the Pentagon had begun considering a freeze or a delay on the sale of a missile-defense system to Taiwan as a way to test the Chinese attitude.
A small number of American experts on China were also encouraging the US to take the initiative of indicating to China that if China reduced the missile threat on a large scale, the US would also restrain the missile defensive capability it offered to Taiwan.
Therefore, while China did not raise the issue during the talks, a facilitative atmosphere for the topic had been shaped.
Although the talks did not result in anything new or important, we still cannot afford to be off guard about the new wave of unification propaganda by China. In particular, the talk about reducing arms sales in exchange for reducing missile deployment is most absurd for a majority of Taiwanese. But, to the rest of the world, where people do not understand the hawkish nature of the CCP regime, such tactics work.
Even if China withdrew the missiles deployed along its southeast coast, it would only be doing what it ought to be doing in the first place, and rectifying an unreasonable situation. It is completely unacceptable to use it as a bargaining chip for US arms sales to Taiwan.
The cross-strait issue should be resolved in a peaceful manner, rather than by resorting to the use of force. Besides, the future of Taiwan can only be determined by the people of Taiwan. It is not something to be dictated by a small number of Chinese dictators backed by the threat of force. Therefore, members of the civilized world all uniformly oppose the Chinese missile deployment against Taiwan.
The European Parliament, and the legislatures of the US and other major democratic countries have respectively passed resolutions calling on China to withdraw the missiles deployed. As one can plainly see, the opposition to Chinese military threats has become the uniform sentiment of the world.
The Chinese missile deployment is barbaric conduct. Therefore, the withdrawal of the missiles should be done unconditionally. However, China is hoping to use it as a bargaining chip to strengthen military cooperation with the US and weaken the US-Taiwan relationship.
Actually, a close look at China's recent tactics toward Taiwan would reveal some most impressively flexible maneuvering. The Chinese leadership has come to an understanding that, to destroy Taiwan, economic infiltration would work much better than blunt military and political tension.
Plus, once the two sides begin direct links, national defense and the economy of Taiwan will surely collapse. Therefore, it has changed its past position that there can be no direct links without Taiwan's acceptance of the "one China" principle
As a result, Taiwan is being shoved to the corner. Take indirect flights by charter planes during the Lunar New Year for example. The Taiwan side has proposed that the flights be "one way" and "indirect."
China may be genuinely reluctant, but to make Taiwan fall into the direct links trap, it is still declaring a willingness to cooperate. This way, if the deal does not work, Taiwan will be to blame.
Once it works, Taiwan would owe China a favor. The next time that a request is made for air links by charter flights, should China ask for two-way direct links, it would be difficult for Taiwan to say no.
The flexibility of China's unification propaganda is thoroughly demonstrated in its efforts to link US arms sales with Chinese missile deployment. China may have deployed more than 400 missiles against Taiwan, but in view of the US' commitment to the defense of Taiwan, China is not likely to get away with invading Taiwan.
Besides, these missiles also provoke the resentment of Taiwanese. Moreover, once these missiles are withdrawn, they can always be redeployed. Under the circumstances, the proposal not only works well as a bargaining chip but can also help China win over the hearts of a portion of the Taiwanese population. "Why not do it?" China must be thinking.
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