A flurry of recent Sino-US military exchanges has attracted much attention. Beijing and Washington decided to resume military exchanges during Chinese Vice President Hu Jintao's (胡錦濤) US visit in late April. Two fleets of US warships later anchored off Hong Kong in late August and last month. The US destroyer Paul F. Foster also visited the port of Qingdao late last month.
The exchanges between high-ranking US and Chinese military officials became even more frequent this month. First, a delegation from China's National Defense University visited Washington, followed by a visit by Deputy Chief of General Staff Xiong Guangkai (熊光楷). Second, Admiral Thomas Fargo, the head of the US Pacific Command, arrived in China last week and visited the sensitive Nanjing Military District of the People's Liberation Army.
Among these contacts, Xiong's US trip attracted the most attention, as it indicated a resumption of the negotiation mechanism between deputy defense ministers -- a mechanism which had been on hold ever since the EP-3 collision in April last year.
During his US visit in October, Chinese President Jiang Zemin (
During the recent talks, Xiong presented China's defense White Paper to Washington in order to show Beijing's goodwill. Of course, his true intention was to implant the White Paper's perspective in Washington. According to the US, the talks included various issues, from Taiwan to North Korea and Iraq.
Although the US said China's missile deployment is a threat to regional peace, China did not bring up its proposal to remove missiles aimed at Taiwan. US National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice warned Xiong during a meeting that the US cannot accept his 1995 remarks, in which he threatened to launch nuclear missiles at Los Angeles if the US came to the defense of Taipei. According to other sources, Washington believes Jiang's proposition was just propaganda. Besides, US arms sales to Taiwan are carried out in accordance with the Taiwan Relations Act.
One could say that China gained nothing from the recent round of discussions. No doubt Beijing didn't want to propose conditions for an exchange directly to the uncompromising US Department of Defense because any setback would then have made the proposal difficult to peddle. Instead, Beijing sought to influence government policy by setting its sights on Washington's think tanks.
After the talks, when Xiong had lunch with China specialists from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the Brookings Institution, he raised the possibility that China could consider adjusting its missile deployment and also the hope that the US would consider reducing and ultimately halting arms sales to Taipei. Some "old China hands" in the West are easily manipulated by China because of their affinity for the country.
For 63-year-old Xiong, who is in charge of contacts with the US military, however, the good times are nearly over. He was promoted rapidly in the early 1990s when Jiang was purging Yang Shangkun (楊尚昆) and his half-brother, Yang Baibing (楊白冰). At that time, Jiang was virulently anti-US, so Xiong resorted to nuclear extortion in order to cater to Jiang. As a result, Xiong was promoted to his present job.
Prior to the Chinese Communist Party's 16th National Congress, there was a rumor that Xiong would become defense minister, but instead he is now in his third term as an alternate member of the Political Bureau. Moreover, his standing among the alternates is very low. Clearly he has fallen from favor. The next time China undertakes important policy-making work regarding Sino-US military relations, Xiong will not play a key role.
US President George W. Bush sent a congratulatory telegram to Jiang shortly after the conclusion of the National Congress, saying he "treasured" working with Jiang on improving bilateral ties and promoting world peace and prosperity. Moreover, Bush added that he "anticipated further cooperation" with Jiang as the latter continues to serve as chairman of the Central Military Commission.
According to the clues that have come to light thus far, Jiang achieved his goal of retaining the position of commission chairman by inciting the military to carry out a thinly disguised coup. If Bush appears too fervent in his approval, it will only encourage Jiang to follow the path of Adolf Hitler. In the future, it will be Western countries that bear the terrible consequences.
It's important to remember that China's 1.3 billion people and enormous resources are manipulated by the Chinese Communist Party. Those factors are exactly what Hitler was lacking.
Paul Lin is a commentator based in New York.
TRANSLATED BY EDDY CHANG AND ETHAN HARKNESS
Recently, China launched another diplomatic offensive against Taiwan, improperly linking its “one China principle” with UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 to constrain Taiwan’s diplomatic space. After Taiwan’s presidential election on Jan. 13, China persuaded Nauru to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Nauru cited Resolution 2758 in its declaration of the diplomatic break. Subsequently, during the WHO Executive Board meeting that month, Beijing rallied countries including Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Belarus, Egypt, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Laos, Russia, Syria and Pakistan to reiterate the “one China principle” in their statements, and assert that “Resolution 2758 has settled the status of Taiwan” to hinder Taiwan’s
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s (李顯龍) decision to step down after 19 years and hand power to his deputy, Lawrence Wong (黃循財), on May 15 was expected — though, perhaps, not so soon. Most political analysts had been eyeing an end-of-year handover, to ensure more time for Wong to study and shadow the role, ahead of general elections that must be called by November next year. Wong — who is currently both deputy prime minister and minister of finance — would need a combination of fresh ideas, wisdom and experience as he writes the nation’s next chapter. The world that
The past few months have seen tremendous strides in India’s journey to develop a vibrant semiconductor and electronics ecosystem. The nation’s established prowess in information technology (IT) has earned it much-needed revenue and prestige across the globe. Now, through the convergence of engineering talent, supportive government policies, an expanding market and technologically adaptive entrepreneurship, India is striving to become part of global electronics and semiconductor supply chains. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Vision of “Make in India” and “Design in India” has been the guiding force behind the government’s incentive schemes that span skilling, design, fabrication, assembly, testing and packaging, and
Can US dialogue and cooperation with the communist dictatorship in Beijing help avert a Taiwan Strait crisis? Or is US President Joe Biden playing into Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) hands? With America preoccupied with the wars in Europe and the Middle East, Biden is seeking better relations with Xi’s regime. The goal is to responsibly manage US-China competition and prevent unintended conflict, thereby hoping to create greater space for the two countries to work together in areas where their interests align. The existing wars have already stretched US military resources thin, and the last thing Biden wants is yet another war.