Fri, Feb 04, 2000 page3

• CIA warns of military incursion

  CROSS-STRAIT TENSIONS With the passage of the Taiwan Security Enhancement Act by the US House, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency says that the elements are present for a military flare-up after the presidential election in March

  • By Nadia Tsao / LIBERTY TIMES CORRESPONDENT STAFF REPORTER IN WASHINGTON
  • • 
    • 
    • 

  Just days after Beijing appeared to demonstrate a willingness to resume a dialogue with Taiwan by reiterating Jiang Zemin's (江澤民)"eight points," George J. Tenet, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) said to the US Senate on Wednesday that "we see a high potential for another military flare-up across the Taiwan Strait this year."

  "The catalyst for these tensions is the Taiwan election on March 18, which Beijing will be monitoring for signs that a new president will retreat from Lee Teng-hui's (李登輝) statements -- or further extend the political distance from reunification," Tenet told a Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

  The statement is just one indicator of the chilly political climate currently gripping Washington over the issue of China and Taiwan.

  Sandy Berger, National Security Advisor to President Clinton, repeated his stance on the act in a speech at the Wilson Center in Washington on Wednesday by saying that the legislation should be renamed the "Taiwan Insecurity Act."

  He said while the act would formalize military relations between the US and Taiwan, it would upset US-China relations and threaten regional stability. He also said that establishing normal trading status was more important.

  "I am convinced that this agreement is as vital to our national security as it is to our economic security," Berger said.

  He admitted tensions do exist in the Taiwan Strait, and that the US must keep encouraging China to find a peaceful resolution to its problems with Taiwan. However, he said, it was not the right time to pass the act, adding that the administration would try to persuade the Senate to reject it.

  The director of the CIA pointed out that even the return of Macau last December was overshadowed by President Lee's declaration of "state-to-state" relations with China last July.

  Tenet said that although Beijing currently lacks the military capability to successfully mount an invasion of Taiwan, China has been increasing the size and sophistication of its forces along the Strait, most notably by deploying short-range ballistic missiles.

  Tenet also confirmed that China should receive the first of two modern, Russian-built Sovremenny Class destroyers this month, and he expected the ship to join China's East Sea Fleet, which regularly conducts operations near Taiwan.

  Meanwhile, some reports say the military movements made by the People's Liberation Army has Taiwan concerned.

  Defense News published a report earlier this week indicating that Taiwan is not only pressing the US for more advanced weapons, such as the Aegis combat and early warning radar systems, but is also showing greater interest in developing its own weapons systems.

  DPP lawmaker Parris Chang (張旭成) said in a recent speech in Washington that his party supports the idea of developing offensive weapons, although nuclear weapons were not being considered.

  Some analysts in Washington also believe the passage of the Taiwan Security Enhancement Act is actually a push for more advance weapons sales to Taiwan.

  Larry Wortzel, Director of the Asia Bureau at the Washington-based Heritage Foundation, said if China really wants normal trading status with the US it also has to show self-restraint by not taking any provocative action.
• Most Popular

  • 1

    Iran’s supreme leader Khamenei killed

  • 2

    Iran prepare for Women’s Asian Cup in Australia as bombs drop on homeland

  • 3

    Marco Bezzecchi wins MotoGP opener

  • 4

    For Bangladesh, just playing is a win

  • 5

    Liverpool rocked by last-gasp defeat at Wolves