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LETTERS: Communique misinterpreted

The article by Wen Liao ("Kosovo, Taiwan, Tibet rattle China," March 23, page 8) represents a view that could be characterized as among the more sober and balanced expressions of Chinese nationalism. His tone is moderate as he emphasizes commonalities of interest as frameworks for settling sovereignty questions. He raises aloft the Shanghai Communique of 1972 as an example of clear-sighted statecraft on the parts of the West and China, as it "set the ... unambiguous standard: There is only one China, and Taiwan is part of it."

This "standard" was not established by the Shanghai Communique; in fact, a huge amount of ambiguity was engendered in the release of the communique vis a vis how the US perceived the question of Taiwan, which was done deliberately by the US. The Chinese side expressed their view that Taiwan is part of one China.

The US side said: "The United States acknowledges that all Chinese on either side of the Taiwan Strait maintain there is but one China and that Taiwan is a part of China. The United States Government does not challenge that position. It reaffirms its interest in a peaceful settlement of the Taiwan question by the Chinese themselves."

This represented an acknowledgement of -- not an agreement with -- the Chinese position.

It may be, that through aggressive censorship, authoritarian China has destroyed the faculties for objective thought of several generations.

One would expect a higher standard from a lawyer in international practice.

B. Charles Bramlet

Kaohsiung

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