China rattles sabres at Taiwan and U.S.
Globe and Mail ^ | 3-15-05 | GEOFFREY YORK


China rattles sabres at Taiwan and U.S. By GEOFFREY YORK

Tuesday, March 15, 2005 Updated at 1:23 AM EST

From Tuesday's Globe and Mail

Tokyo ?? In the halls of Chinese power, a moment of raw emotion yesterday exposed the escalating tensions that could some day ignite a war between China and the United States over the issue of Taiwan.

The surge of emotion came on a historic day when China for the first time approved a law authorizing a military attack on Taiwan if the island takes any "major steps" toward independence.

Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao tried to reassure journalists that the law was a peaceful gesture, "not a war bill."

But at his annual press conference in the grandiose Great Hall of the People, he began talking of the "bullying and humiliation" that China had suffered from foreigners over the past century.

Then he fired a blunt warning directly at Washington, making it clear that he is prepared for war with the United States if necessary.

"We won't brook foreign interference," he said defiantly. "We don't hope for foreign interference, but we are not afraid of it."

It was an electric moment, and it triggered an excited response from the hundreds of normally staid Chinese journalists and officials in the room. There was thunderous applause.

Just two hours earlier, the applause had been even more thunderous when China's rubber-stamp parliament voted by a margin of 2,896-0 (with two abstentions) to approve the anti-secession law aimed at Taiwan.

The parliament also approved on Sunday a hefty 12.6-per-cent rise in China's military spending, while President Hu Jintao issued his own fierce words to China's military leaders.

"We shall step up preparations for possible military struggle and enhance our capabilities to cope with crises, safeguard peace, prevent wars and win the wars, if any," Mr. Hu told the military officials on Sunday.

None of this amused the administration of President George W. Bush in Washington.

"We view the adoption of the anti-secession law as unfortunate," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said yesterday.

"We oppose any attempts to determine the future of Taiwan by anything other than peaceful means. We don't want to see any unilateral attempts that would increase tensions in the region. So, this is not helpful."

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who will visit Beijing this week, had even sharper criticism for the anti-secession law.

"Clearly, it raises tensions," she said on Sunday. "And it's not necessary or a good thing to raise tensions."

Last month, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency warned that China's military buildup, including its hundreds of nuclear missiles, could "tilt the balance" across the Taiwan Strait and "threaten U.S. forces in the region."

In Taipei, the anti-secession law provoked a furious reaction from the Taiwanese government and pro-independence groups. One group of parliamentarians burned the Chinese flag at a rally to protest against the law.

"The law is tantamount to authorization of war," cabinet spokesman Cho Jung-tai told reporters yesterday.

Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian is calling for a massive street protest by one million people in Taipei on March 26 to oppose the Chinese law. Elected members of his political party reacted to the law by denouncing Mr. Hu and Mr. Wen as "dictators who are sinners in history."

Japan also expressed fears about the anti-secession law yesterday, worrying that it could inflame tensions between Beijing and Taipei. Seeking to deflect the criticism, Mr. Wen emphasized that the law contained provisions to encourage more passenger flights between Taiwan and the Chinese mainland, more trade and business links and more cultural exchanges between the two sides.

He said the law was designed to "check and oppose" the pro-independence movement in Taiwan, but he promised to seek a peaceful solution "as long as there is a ray of hope."

The clash over the anti-secession law is an example of the dangerous drift of the Taiwan issue, which has emerged as one of the world's most volatile flashpoints.

On the Taiwan side, Mr. Chen is pledging to write a new Taiwan constitution and get it approved by a referendum within the next three years, yet Beijing has warned that it could view this as a step towards independence.
Torog Reviewed by Torog on . China Rattles Sabres at Taiwan and US China rattles sabres at Taiwan and U.S. Globe and Mail ^ | 3-15-05 | GEOFFREY YORK China rattles sabres at Taiwan and U.S. By GEOFFREY YORK Tuesday, March 15, 2005 Updated at 1:23 AM EST From Tuesday's Globe and Mail Rating: 5