Letter: The US is favoring China

The US claims to want to maintain the "status quo" across the Taiwan Strait, yet what the US has been up to recently is helping China degrade Taiwan. Many people consider Taiwan to be the levee of the Western Pacific. If this levee is breached through negligence, the "Red Storm" will be more catastrophic than Hurricane Katrina.

Of course the US needs to look after its national interest, but it should not do so at the expense of Taiwan, or any other country. Small nations have dignity too. China will take a foot for every inch you give it. No matter how much the US may compromise, the US will never satisfy China or get what it wants in return.

The US' rejection of President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) request to stop over in New York or Los Angeles helped China further isolate Taiwan. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made a bad recommendation to President George W. Bush on this matter. China's leaders probably hoped that Chen's plane would not be able to find an airport to land at, as was the case with the Shah of Iran many years ago.

When Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) visited the US, he was treated as if he were the president of Taiwan. The Bush administration wants China to negotiate directly with the government of Taiwan, yet the US refused Chen's request to land in New York or Los Angeles, as if he were a terrorist.

The reason for this is that China asked the US not to let Chen go to Washington.

The US is fighting hard in Iraq to promote democracy, yet at the same time it is unintentionally pushing Taiwan away from democracy and toward communism by trying to please China.

The "one China" policy adopted by former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger must be critically reviewed by the State Department. It is a bad policy for Taiwan, the US and China.

Charles Hong
Columbus, Ohio