Thursday, September 08, 2005

EU Bent on Arming China

The Taipei Times reported today that the EU is determined to overturn the ban on weapons sales to China.

Solana's comments follow a China-EU summit in Beijing on Monday. A joint statement issued afterward said the EU "reaffirmed its willingness to continue to work toward lifting the embargo."

Solana didn't say if Beijing was asked to meet any conditions in return, although in the past he has said China would have to live up to human-rights standards.

However, he reiterated that the embargo, when lifted, would be replaced with a "code of conduct" governing what weapons and technologies could be sold to China and for what purposes.


A "Code of Conduct." That will be about as effective as Munich in '39. Yes, I know Solana, Taiwan is a little country, far away, about which you know nothing.

Hey, Solana! Just a friendly question: if an EU-enhanced Chinese missile lands on my house and kills my wife and family, do you think I would have every right to do a Lee Harvey Oswald on you and all the other EU 'crats who have spent their careers on their knees in front of Chinese leaders?

5 comments:

Red A said...

By international law, China has the right to invade Taiwan.

If a unilateral cowboy country comes to defend it, they will be the ones breaking international law.

p.s if you are afraid for your wife and kids - so am I - so I suggest Taiwan get busy negotiating unification.

If they don't want this, then why do they keep electing these people?

Anonymous said...

Red A, somehow the words "invade" and "right" seem quite contrary, don't you think?

All this boils down once again to Taiwan's national status in the eyes of the world. If the world sees Taiwan as a separate nation, then China will have no such right. Problem is that most world leaders, wanting to please China, all seem to be leaning the other way.

I won't pretend to be an expert in internation "law", so I'll ask you. What exactly does internation law say about one nation invading another?

Michael Turton said...

International law is quite clear on the fact that China has no right to annex Taiwan. This will not prevent most everyone from looking the other way, and some nations from helping. Like our allies the EU and Israel.

Red A said...

Taiwan is part of China according to all the members of the UNSC. Thus, any "invasion" would be a purely internal matter.

Please see: Russia in Chechenya. See Indonesia in Aceh. See Thailand in southern Thailand.

That's the reality.

and Michael is correct in noting the EU and Israel as non-allies in this fight. The only saving grace for Taiwan is disruption of trade routes will bring USA and Japan in despite our help being illegal.

Michael Turton said...

The US has never formally acknowledged that Taiwan is part of China, Red A. So in fact the UNSC does not agree. That's the reality.