Re: Premier Su says China's pressure on Taiwan will ultimately fail, just like Berlin Wall

On 22 Feb 2007 07:36:26 -0800, "Quadibloc" <jsavard@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

RichAsianKid wrote:
From Taiwan's Government Information Office: February 22nd, 2007:

http://www.gio.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=32088&ctNode=2462&mp=807
Premier Su says China's pressure on Taiwan will ultimately fail, just
like Berlin Wall

Highlight: "Premier Su said that the people of Taiwan have the right
to elect their own leaders and that this is the biggest difference
between Taiwan and China. He said this is precisely what the
authorities in Beijing fear the most. Taiwan cherishes its freedom and
democracy, emphasizes human rights, and respects differences of
opinion, he said.

Gee, you must really hate your fellow Chinese people, just like
they're all saying!

Imagine thinking they ought to be able to speak their minds freely,
and elect their own government. How can you possibly want to inflict
such a horrible fate on them?

(I hardly think a smiley is necessary...)

John Savard

Jeff Church is a regular letter writer to AToL. His letter below is a
pretty good description of how the TI issue will be resolved.



[Re] China targets more than a satellite (Feb 22) by Patrick M Cronin
.... Shouldn't it be absolutely obvious that China targeted more than
an old satellite? If there were a technical need to shoot down one,
then the issue would have been rather moot. Indeed, the issue is
virtually moot, as nothing concrete would result from just one ASAT
[anti-satellite] test. Implicit is that China's rise to a … power that
challenges US dominance in some areas is inevitable, and has to be and
is acceptable to the US. While US (and other Western) ideologies do
influence China significantly, [a] realistic goal for the US is that
China remains a status quo power that stays within the confines of
diplomacy (such as diplomatically recognized territorial claims -
Taiwan), not the confine of US ideologies. Cronin writes, "China wants
a tranquil re-emergence, but the anti-satellite test (ASAT) suggests
it is willing to accept the risk of being perceived as a military
threat rather than cede future superiority in space to the United
States." What else does one expect? China has indicated that it would
not repeat such a test (any time soon, that is). In the coming
decades, expect China to push to the edge of the envelope occasionally
and then strategically retreat to normalcy. Globalization and other
forms of economic integration provide the elasticity, which should be
viewed from all perspectives, without ideological mental handicap.
Last, I must say that Western obsession with the issue of Taiwan is
the result of such mental handicap. Cronin writes, "Taiwan no doubt
will view the test, coupled with the PLA [People's Liberation Army]
deployment of some 900-1,000 missiles opposite Taiwan, as added
coercive and deterrent pressure aimed at keeping Taipei from moving
further toward independence." There is the disinclination to consider
the crux of the island's geography. The ASAT cannot meaningfully be
associated with Taiwan independence, as it is virtually hopeless due
simply to the island's geography. After mainland China has achieved
lopsided advantages in all fields, when the island's first-strike
capability is no longer credible, any resemblance to [a Taiwanese]
military defense would be quite incidental. Mainland China would then
easily, even with allowable subtlety, disseminate an atmosphere of
uncertainty of energy supply to the island. The island would be in
economic malaise without the mainland side having to actually fire a
single shot. There would be no international reaction, military force
or economic sanction, which would vastly increase the chance of
eventual war and Taiwan's destruction, to say the least. The only
factor in Taiwan's favor would be global consumer resentment of
mainland China's assertive (or aggressive) posture toward Taiwan. Such
resentment would not go far enough to translate into sufficient losses
in Chinese exports, as such a posture would be subtle and not
newsworthy enough perpetually. Taiwan would not survive economically
long-term and subtle economic abrasion, as it would one day be far too
vulnerable.
Jeff Church
USA (Feb 22, '07) http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Letters.html
.