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Taiwan Relation Act forms continuing Sino-US split
In a move highly criticized by Beijing, the US House of Representatives has reiterated and reinforced support for the 25 year old Taiwan Relations Act in which it has pledged to support Taiwan in the event of Chinese aggressions.
Beijing has also accused the Bush administration of fabricating a military treat towards Taiwan and inflating reports of Chinese military enlargement and capability in order to further facilitate the sale of advanced weapons to the island.
Claiming that the move could harm relations between China and Taiwan, and China and the US, Chinese officials have called on Washington to adhere to its commitment to support Beijing over issues of Chinese -Taiwanese sovereignty.
"This will not only harm peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits and hurt Sino-US relations, but also damage the interests of the United States itself,"
Zhang Qiyue, Chinese spokesperson
Despite maintaining a policy of ¡°One China¡±, that includes Taiwan and the Tibetan Autonomous Region as immutable territories of China, the US has continued to sell advanced weapons to Taiwan that cold war era laws prohibit from being supplied to the Chinese mainland.
The US is bound by the 1979 Taiwanese relations act to "make available to Taiwan such defense articles and defense services in such quantity as may be necessary to enable Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability." And the act has served to ignite several political conflicts between the governments in Washington and Beijing.
The Australian http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,10179247%255E31477,00.html
25 years ago that may have been our business.
Tom
If America wasn’t ‘in’ Taiwan today, China probably would be.
This is certainly America’s business.
Seems to me if a country like the US makes a commitment with another
country, regardless of the cost or potential problems, it should honor it.
Luckily the USA just re-elected a leader with character and honor, instead
of someone like Clinton again.
Lets just hope that China dosen't push it...
mike s
Mike
When the US made its commitments to Chinese Taiwan, we were living in a different time, I don’t think that the US saw there being a time when China would be such a manufacturing powerhouse or when the lifestyle enjoyed by average Americans would be supplemented to such an extent by ‘cheap’ imports from China.
Things were simpler back then, the US could stand off against China and nuclear balance would keep the two from coming to blows. Now the US has to worry about links between the US and Chinese economies as well, not to mention the implications for the US economy if it looses imports from either mainland China or Chinese Taiwan due to a conflict
China has a lot of face invested in Chinese Taiwan right now, particularly as nationalists, who support taking a tough line against the island, are growing in power and influence, forcing the US to play both the part of a diplomat and of a military chief so as to maintain trade relations with China, while maintaining US commitments with the threat of military force is necessary.
I’m not an American, so I wouldn’t particularly describe Bush as having character and honor, more determination and zeal. He has a particular view and a particular agenda, and he will see them through to the end no matter what, Clinton, on the other hand, didn’t seem to have Bush’s determination or his sense of conviction, and he would be far more likely to fold in a position where Bush would not.