In a move perceived as further evidence of an increasingly isolationist administration, US President George W. Bush declared in May that the US intended to develop a national missile defense system (NMD).
The Bush administration maintains that NMD would protect the US from rogue nations such as North Korea, Libya, Iraq and Iran.
China and Russia quickly voiced objections saying that the US was willfully renewing an arms race mentality while other critics argued that NMD is an unworkable fantasy and will be a catalyst for more nuclear brinkmanship.
China vowed to put more money into its own nuclear arsenals while Russian President Vladimir Putin pointed out that any NMD tests would be in violation of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty (ABM) signed jointly by the Soviet Union and the US in 1972.
The Bush administration countered by saying that ABM no longer reflected the realities of a Cold War world.
But the Sept. 11 attacks drastically changed Russia's relationship with the US as Putin sought to expand his political capital by offering Russian assistance in the US-led war on terrorism in exchange for a softer American line on rights abuses in Chechnya and eventual cuts in both the US and Russian nuclear arsenals.
As the war progressed, Bush and Putin strengthened their relationship and though the Bush administration signaled its firm intent on developing and testing NMD, Russia softened its objections.
On Dec.14 Bush announced that the US would unilaterally withdraw from the ABM treaty. In an unusual diplomatic move, Bush called Chinese President Jiang Zemin to assure him that the NMD initiative was not aimed at China.
For the moment, NMD testing hasn't raised substantial objections from Russia. But many countries view NMD as a sign of a militant America seeking to up the ante in an already dangerous and unpredictable world.
CALL FOR SUPPORT: President William Lai called on lawmakers across party lines to ensure the livelihood of Taiwanese and that national security is protected President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called for bipartisan support for Taiwan’s investment in self-defense capabilities at the christening and launch of two coast guard vessels at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard in Kaohsiung. The Taipei (台北) is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels, and the Siraya (西拉雅) is the Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) first-ever ocean patrol vessel, the government said. The Taipei is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels with a displacement of about 4,000 tonnes, Lai said. This ship class was ordered as a result of former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) 2018
‘SECRETS’: While saying China would not attack during his presidency, Donald Trump declined to say how Washington would respond if Beijing were to take military action US President Donald Trump said that China would not take military action against Taiwan while he is president, as the Chinese leaders “know the consequences.” Trump made the statement during an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes program that aired on Sunday, a few days after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in South Korea. “He [Xi] has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘we would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” Trump said in the interview. However, he repeatedly declined to say exactly how Washington would respond in
WARFARE: All sectors of society should recognize, unite, and collectively resist and condemn Beijing’s cross-border suppression, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng said The number of Taiwanese detained because of legal affairs by Chinese authorities has tripled this year, as Beijing intensified its intimidation and division of Taiwanese by combining lawfare and cognitive warfare, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) made the statement in response to questions by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen (沈柏洋) about the government’s response to counter Chinese public opinion warfare, lawfare and psychological warfare. Shen said he is also being investigated by China for promoting “Taiwanese independence.” He was referring to a report published on Tuesday last week by China’s state-run Xinhua news agency,
‘NOT SUBORDINATE’: Only Taiwanese can decide the nation’s future, and people preserving their democratic way of life is not a provocation, President William Lai said Taiwan does not want China’s “one country, two systems,” and must uphold its freedom and democracy as well as resolve to defend itself, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, rejecting Beijing’s latest bid to bring the country under Chinese control. The president made the remarks while attending a commissioning ceremony for Taiwan’s first battalion of M1A2T Abrams tanks in Hsinchu County’s Hukou Township (湖口). The tanks are made by General Dynamics, a major US defense contractor. China this week said it “absolutely will not” rule out using force over Taiwan, striking a much tougher tone than a series of articles in state media
RSS