The US House of Representatives Wednesday approved by a 411-3 vote a resolution condemning the EU's intention to lift its arms embargo on China, saying the move would imperil peace and stability in East Asia.
The resolution calls on US President George W. Bush to urge European leaders during his planned trip to the continent later this month to "reconsider this unwise course of action" and to close loopholes in the embargo and Europe's arms export rules to prevent any future sales of arms or related technology to China.
Beijing's military buildup and its strategic policies "remain shrouded in mystery" and "imply challenges for ... United States commitments and interests related to the defense of numerous friends and allies in the region, particularly Taiwan and Japan," the resolution says.
"The United States has numerous national interests in the Asia and Pacific region, including the security of Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and other key areas," it says. As a result, US armed forces could be endangered because China is "increasingly well-armed and may seek to settle long-standing territorial and political disputes in the region by the threat and use of force."
It also notes that despite the embargo, European arms sales to China doubled between 2002 and 2003 to US$540 million.
The resolution, which was passed under special House "suspension" rules that allow for quick consideration and vote, was sponsored by International Relations Committee Chairman Henry Hyde, the committee's ranking Democrat, Tom Lantos and two others.
In an address to the floor of the House, Lantos zeroed in on the implications for Taiwan. Expressing optimism that cross-strait relations could be settled peacefully, Lantos said, "despite these factors working in favor of peace across the Taiwan Strait, it is possible mainland hardliners might push for military action against Taiwan after the 2008 Olympics, or that conflict in the Strait may begin because of miscalculation by either side."
"It is in this context that the European Union's current deliberations on the lifting of its arms embargo on China are so outrageous," Lantos said, adding that "I remain optimistic that tensions across the Taiwan Strait can be resolved peacefully, and that the United States will not be drawn into a Taiwan-related conflict.".
"Key policymakers in Beijing fully understand that military action against Taiwan would spark international isolation, possible military conflict with the United States and a certain boycott of the much-prized 2008 Olympics in Beijing," he said.
"Taiwan's leaders, for their part, fully understand that the increasing economic ties between Taiwan and the mainland would be threatened by provocative steps." "President Chen [Shui-bian (陳水扁)] and Vice President [Annette Lu (呂秀蓮)] in Taiwan fully understand that Taiwan must negotiate with the mainland from a position of strength, which requires immediate approval by Taiwan's legislature of a supplemental defense package," Lantos said.
Steve Chabot, a co-chairman of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus, said that lifting the embargo would quickly tip the military balance in the Strait in Beijing's favor.
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she would bring up the issue with European leaders in her trip to seven European capitals beginning today.
Rice told reporters that in view of the Human Rights concerns that led to the embargo in the wake of the 1989 Tiananmen massacre in Beijing, "one has to be very careful not to send the wrong signal about human rights. And, of course, we do have concerns about the strategic military considerations of doing so."
Asked whether she is resigned to the actual lifting of the embargo, Rice said, "we're not resigned to anything. I think at this point we need to continue to discuss it and work it out."
She declined to discuss any possible US retaliation against the EU if the embargo is lifted. Some members of Congress have discussed imposing some sort of retaliation, including imposing restrictions on transfers to Europe.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed welcome yesterday for the passage of the resolution.
‘NO SECURITY RISK’: The Railway Bureau reassured the public that the technicians’ activities were limited to technical guidance and did not involve sensitive systems The Railway Bureau yesterday said it had invited eight Chinese technicians to assist with an airport MRT construction project. The bureau issued the confirmation after an Internet user said Chinese nationals had entered the construction zone of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s Terminal 3 project. They asked why “individuals from an enemy state” were allowed access to such a major national infrastructure project, which raised serious concerns over Taiwan’s industrial safety, sensitive systems and information security. The bureau’s Northern Region Engineering Branch Office said subcontractor Taiwan Handle Industrial Co (台灣手把工業) of the Taoyuan airport MRT’s “Contract No. CU05 Project A14 Station Civil, MEP &
The National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology yesterday showcased its locally developed variants of the Vision 60 robotic patrol dog, which it plans to deploy on the nation’s outlying territories in the South China Sea. The variants were produced under the Joint Lab project — created by the institute and domestic companies — and assembled with domestically produced motors, lenses and artificial intelligence (AI) systems alongside licensed tech from the US, Missile and Rocket Systems Research Division deputy director Jen Kuo-kang (任國光) told the media event at a military base in Taipei’s Dazhi (大直) area. Taiwan has built up its strengths
NOT IMMEDIATE: Taiwan has a chance to appeal the proposed 10 percent tariff before it starts, while other countries face a 12.5 percent tariff from the trade office Taiwan is among 60 economies determined by the US to have failed to impose or enforce a ban on the importation of goods produced with forced labor, according to a notice released on Tuesday by the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR), which proposed imposing an additional 10 percent or more tariff on them. The USTR in a statement said that following an investigation, it had determined under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 that the failure of the 60 economies to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labor is
TIT-FOR-TAT: The US allegedly revoked the visa of a Chinese national working at Xinhua News Agency in the US in response to Beijing’s expulsion of Vivian Wang The Presidential Office yesterday condemned China for expelling a New York Times correspondent from Beijing following the newspaper’s interview with President William Lai (賴清德), saying the move highlighted Beijing’s suppression of press freedom and its threat to international news media. Taiwan has noted a series of recent incidents in which Beijing used similar tactics to “threaten and pressure international media outlets and journalists,” Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said in a statement. “This concerns not only press freedom and freedom of expression, but also the safety of journalists, and Taiwan and relevant partners are paying close attention to the situation,” she
RSS