January 15, 2004 :: Spacewar.com :: News
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Richard Myers did not allow his visit to China to go without rebuking his guest for their “very large” missile buildup within range of Taiwan, and indicated that the United States might assist the island nation defend itself from mainland aggression. An assessment of his condemnation, however, requires one to pay close attention to its timing with recent events.
Last month, President Bush rebuked Taiwanese President Chen’s plans for a strong resolution condemning China’s buildup. On Thursday, Myers seemed firm toward China, saying that: “President Bush could not have been clearer when he was speaking to Premier Wen (Jiabao) that the US will resist any attempts to use coercion to solve the problem between China and Taiwan”—that, “again, I think all three parties in this case understand that very thoroughly.” Yet Myers’ choice of language describing the Chinese buildup allows some doubt about exactly what the United States might do in the case of a Chinese attack. “Our responsibility under the Taiwan Relations Act is to assist Taiwan in its ability to defend itself.” “The US is committed to helping Taiwan maintain its ability to resist the use of force or coercion to solve this problem.” The emphasis is clearly that Taiwan must take steps to defend itself, and that the United States’ defense of Taiwan is somewhat indirect.
One might view Myers’ comments condemning China’s buildup as a quid pro quo, given in exchange for Chen’s backpedaling on a March 20 resolution about the Chinese missiles. Chen announced Friday that he still plans to hold the referendum. But whereas the resolution was originally a formal condemnation of China’s buildup and a request that they be removed, the resolution will now be both softer and more hypothetical. The revised language for the relevant passage is as follows:
“The People of Taiwan demand that the Taiwan Strait issue be resolved through peaceful means. Should Mainland China refuse to withdraw the missiles it has targeted at Taiwan and to openly renounce the use of force against us, would you agree that the Government should acquire more advanced anti-missile weapons to strengthen Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities?”
An additional question will also be added, which too adds to what Colin Powell favorably termed “flexibility”: “Would you agree that our Government should engage in negotiation with Mainland China on the establishment of a ‘peace and stability’ framework for cross-strait interactions in order to build consensus and for the welfare of the peoples on both sides?” Chen was also quite clear that he would “maintain the status quo,” and that no “declaration of independence” would be issued.
(Article)» Text of Chen’s speech, with revised, more “flexible,” resolution language
» Dec. 3: Nearly 500 Chinese missiles off the coast of Taiwan
» Gen. Bergert: China has made “significant” improvements in ability to strike Taiwan with missiles and by air
» More stories on: Allies, China, Proliferation, Taiwan
