Suddenly, China has violated the status quo! It took only a few years for American officials to say it, but at last someone, even though a mere assistant secretary, has at last publicly stated that China's missiles and military build-up have altered the status quo in the Taiwan Straits:A senior US defense official has accused China of changing the "status quo" in the Taiwan Strait by its missile buildup aimed at Taiwan, a situation that is forcing Washington to devise new ways to deal with the danger of a Chinese attack on Taiwan.The official, Peter Rodman, the assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, also pointed out that the US has developed improved defense relationships with a horseshoe-shaped ring of Asian nations around China that might come into play if China attacks Taiwan.
He made his comments in testimony at a hearing on China's military modernization conducted by the US Economic and Security Review Commission, a congressionally established investigative body, in Washington on Thursday.
I wonder if this has anything to do with the NUC affair that brought high-ranking US officials to Taipei so that the DPP could talk directly to them. A fortunate by-product of the NUC "abolition?" In the meantime we can all look forward to a spate of Chen-is-crazed headlines to offset this one, like: "Chen Puts Socks on Left Foot First, Threatens Balance in Straits."
[Taiwan] [US] [China]
Well, recently, even Condee Rice has been probing China with questions about its motives for its massive military and increasing build-up therein.
ReplyDeleteSo, there you have someone like her, who apparently doesn't like to meddle in things far-Eastern. The North Korean situation immediately comes to mind. - I mean how can you go into Irag to go after its supposed nuclear weapons and to topple statues of Saddam when North Korea said outright that it had weapons and its dictator hates the West and everyone therein! Hmm. Everyone knows this.
I guess China cares in an explicit foreign policy sort of way about North Korea and not Irag. Because North Korea is part of China's region.
mt, don't you find it curious that 90% of the american "experts" that you enthusiastically quote to support your view on taiwan are well-known hardline china bashers or neocons? i mean, doesn't it trouble your "bit of a lefty" conscience?
ReplyDeletethanks for the beautiful pics anyway..
mt, don't you find it curious that 90% of the american "experts" that you enthusiastically quote to support your view on taiwan are well-known hardline china bashers or neocons? i mean, doesn't it trouble your "bit of a lefty" conscience?
ReplyDeleteYou bet. But then it troubles it even more that the liberals, progressives and libertarians are so anti-Taiwan and pro-China. So which, really, is more preferable -- friendship with hardline anti-China crowd? Or a Taiwan that is a satrapy of Beijing? You have to play the hand you're dealt.
I'd like to make Taiwan more of a progressive issue, but don't know how. Suggestions?
Michael
Damn! I have so much work to do! And you torture me with an article as baaaaad as that!
ReplyDeleteMichael