The last leg of Lu's trip will take her to Seattle, where she hopes to visit the operations of Boeing and Microsoft.

Since the transfer of power in 2000, Lu has made five foreign visits. She has improved Taiwan's relationship with the countries with which it has diplomatic ties, and she has managed to break through China's suppression and become the first Taiwanese vice president to give a public speech at an international conference.

"Vice President Lu has been promoting the concept of `Taiwan Soft diplomacy,' hoping to fight for the chance for Taiwan to speak to the world based on the appeal of women, democracy and peace. She has also performed her diplomacy well," said Joseph Wu, deputy secretary-general of the Presidential Office and a member of Lu's delegation.

Too much of a good thing

An oversized "divine pig" takes a rest in order to gain more weight before the upcoming super-size pig competitions, which are often held in front of temples during the Ghost Festival. Such competitions have been criticized by some animal groups recently.

China seducing our youth: lawmakers

NATIONAL SECURITY: A group of DPP legislators claims Chinese women are using their feminine charms to spy for Beijing and extract information from Taiwanese men

By Fiona Lu

STAFF REPORTER

China's intelligence agents may be seducing, literally, domestic high-tech talent, DPP lawmakers said yesterday.

Single computer engineers in Hsinchu are potential sources of information leaks and are wanted by China's intelligence system, DPP Legislator Trong Chai said. China could easily persuade these innocent young men to divulge high-tech secrets by using the tactic of female seduction, he said.

Chai gave the warning one day after revealing how China was trying to gain access to the heart of the Chung Shan Institute of Science and Technology.

Chai and his fellow DPP lawmakers said military officials and high-tech talent based in Hsinchu, Taoyuan and Miaoli had been targeted by China's intelligence system as sources of classified information on electronic warfare and business.

"The government should be aware of possible espionage in the form of China deploying secret agents disguised as hostesses near the Hsinchu Science-based Industrial Park, top military science and technology hubs and also major stations for the Mirage fighter plane squadron," Chai said.

He added that a significant number of Chinese illegal immigrants arrived by either nominal marriage with Taiwanese nationals or as stowaways who later work in the sex industry.

National security is at risk as they may be working for China's intelligence unit. They can lure, through their feminine charms, domestic workers who may be careless when it comes to being tight-lipped about confidential information, Chai said.

Chai said China possesses information on all of Taiwan's young pilots and has a file with information on the country's Mirage 2000-5 pilots.

Another DPP legislator, Lee Chen-nan, shares Chai's view and linked a growing number of bars and wine shops in technology and military centers with the suspected increase in spying activities.

Many of the new bars were located near military camps to attract not only young high-tech talent in Hsinchu but also to seduce soldiers and high-ranking military officials.

The lawmakers suggested that reinforcing internal control and monitoring work of personnel in the military was needed to solve the security flaw.

"The government must do something to prevent single computer engineers and soldiers from being lured by China through sexual seduction," said independent Legislator Peter Lin.

Lin said some Chinese residents successfully acquired Taiwanese citizenship by using false documents showing that they were representatives or former residents of Kinmen or Matsu.

A number of these people are serving their military service right now and some even work as grocers inside military camps, Lin said. He said it is necessary to make sure none of these people are involved in espionage activities for China.

Spy case puts government in damage-control mode

AFP , TAIPEI

Authorities have taken comprehensive damage-control measures after uncovering an alleged Chinese spy ring which might have jeopardized the nation's security, it was reported yesterday.

Ke Cheng-en, deputy secretary general of the National Security Council, is in charge of damage control, the China Times said, adding Washington had been briefed on the high-profile espionage case.

The defense ministry declined to comment on the report in which the paper cited an unnamed military officer describing the ministry's handling of the case as "helter skelter."

The paper said it was unclear how much information has been accessible to Beijing but investigators feared it might be worse than initially thought.

It said they feared classified details of the country's surface-to-air Tien Kung (Sky Bow) missile and air-to-air Tien Chien (Sky Sword) missile projects had been leaked.

The Investigation Bureau admitted in a statement Wednesday that the nation's security and military capabilities had been seriously damaged by the alleged spy ring.

Authorities on Wednesday announced that they had arrested two local men and a Taiwanese-American for allegedly spying for China.

The trio included 54-year-old technology firm boss Yeh Yu-chen and Chen Shih-liang, 53, a technician at the military-run Chung Shan Institute of Science and Technology, the Investigation Bureau said in a statement.

The third suspect was named as Taiwanese-American Howard Hsu, 57, a retired Boeing engineer residing in Seattle.

Among the highly classified information Yeh gave to China since 2001 was Taiwan's controversial plan to develop a Theater Missile Defense project in cooperation with the US, local media reported Wednesday.

They said the ring might have also leaked the country's anti-submarine military deployment and its plan to purchase P-3C anti-submarine aircraft from the US.

The Investigation Bureau said Hsu had hacked a classified US government database and gathered information on Taiwan-US military projects including communication systems and night combat equipment for F-16 fighter jets.

In addition, Yeh provided Hsu with forged identification to purchase strategic high-tech contraband products in the US, which Yeh later delivered to China after they were mailed or brought personally to Taiwan by Hsu.

Officials said the trio could face treason charges that would lead to imprisonment of up to 10 years.

Washington has been the leading arms supplier to Taiwan despite its switching of diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979.

US defense department sounds a wake-up call

By Liu Kuan-teh

While Taiwan's domestic politics are entangled in finger-pointing and accusations of legislative villainy, people are foolishly ignoring the far more important issue of China's military buildup.

In the recent "2003 Annual Report on the Military Power of the People's Republic of China," the US Department of Defense cautiously reminded the world of the ongoing preparations and possible strategies for Chinese military action against Taiwan.

According to the report, the number of missiles that the People's Liberation Army has deployed on the opposite side of the Taiwan Strait targeting Taiwan has now reached about 450 and is steadily growing.

The current report, moreover, clearly expresses the view that divergent opinions about national identity in Taiwan have a major impact on Taiwan's security and that China is endeavoring to take advantage of this situation by attempting to exacerbate divisions in Taiwanese society.

This is a wake-up call for those who have placed simple economic interests above Taiwan's national security and overlooked the clear and present danger that China poses.

Beijing's expansion of its military capability is no longer a secret. Last year, the US defense department also released a report indicating a potential conflict in the Taiwan Strait might be the primary driver for China's military modernization. It estimated China's total military spending at US$65 billion a year, more than triple the US$20 billion publicly reported by Beijing. It added that China's military spending could increase three or four-fold by 2020. The major finding of this year's report foresaw a military imbalance between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait appearing between 2005 and 2008.

Despite the fact that Beijing and Taipei have stated that they would seek a peaceful resolution to the unification issue, the PRC's ambitious military modernization casts a cloud over its declared preference for resolving differences with Taiwan through peaceful means.

This year's report, therefore, serves as a timely reminder and all politicians in Taiwan should take into account China's military threat as one of the key issues in next year's presidential election.

Also, the changes in China should force leaders in both Taipei and Washington to seriously consider how best to keep a balance of power across the strait.

A military balance between Taiwan and China would ideally entail that both sides refrain from engaging in an arms race and military buildup and renounce the use of force against each other.

The potential military imbalance between Taiwan and China has not only become a regional concern but also created intense debate in Washington about how to strengthen military assistance to Taipei.

In this regard, if China can renounce military intimidation and respect the Taiwanese people's free will, the two sides can begin with integration in the cultural, economic and trade fields before further seeking a new framework for permanent peace and political integration.

While President Chen Shui-bian has repeatedly stressed that Taiwan has no intention of starting an arms race with China, it is necessary for Taiwan to maintain a sufficient defensive capability in the face of Beijing's military expansion.

The opposition in Taiwan should bear in mind that we are dealing with the same enemy. Hampering or hobbling the government will not be constructive to Taiwan's national security.

Most importantly, as contenders for the presidency, the KMT's chairman Lien Chan and the PFP's chairman James Soong have the responsibility to tell the voters how would they deal with China's military threat and clearly define Taiwan's relationship with China.

Liu Kuan-teh is a Taipei-based political commentator.

A costly military exercise

The Executive Yuan decided yesterday to open up as many as eight outlying military-restricted areas, the most notable among them being the famous Tatan and Erhtan islets in Kinmen County. While these two islets may no longer hold their former military significance, the symbolic significance of the move cannot and should not be overlooked. The demilitarization of these islands -- which constitutes the largest-scale troop evacuation from outlying islands since the military withdrew from the Tungsha (Pratas) and Spratly Islands -- reflects the government's ongoing process of policy and psychological demilitarization, not only in cross-strait relationships, but also in general.

Tatan and Erhtan islets have been known as the "forefront" of the "anti-communist fortress" for decades, not only because of their close proximity to Xiamen but also because of the "Battle of Tatan" 53 years ago.

On July 26, 1950, only about a year after China's KMT regime withdrew to Taiwan, Chinese communist troops seized an opportunity created by a typhoon to launch several attack waves in an attempt to take over the islets.

However, the invaders were defeated after some 500 communist soldiers died on the beaches and along the coasts of the islets. The victory significantly boosted the deflated morale of the KMT troops and the regime and stabilized the situation in the Taiwan Strait.

These islets have gradually lost their military significance over the years, as advances in military technology have made it possible for battles to be fought by firing missiles from thousands of kilometers away. In fact, the islets have become popular scenic spots for Chinese tourists who now merrily wave to Taiwanese troops. It is the intention of the Kinmen County government, which is to take over the administration of these islets after the military withdrawal has been completed, to turn them into tourism centers.

However, the historical symbolism of the islets and their significance in cross-strait relationships remains. This is evident by the fact that it was during a trip to these islets that President Chen Shui-bian issued an open invitation to then-Chinese President Jiang Zemin to visit and have tea there. It was on the same occasion that Chen openly stated that the opening up of the "small three links" between the countries on either side of the Taiwan Strait was "an inevitable path."

One cannot help but ask: What has Taiwan received so far in return for all its goodwill toward China? Are we being too easy and careless in letting down our guard or demilitarizing our policies and attitudes?

After all, the implementation of the "small three links" between Kinmen and China has provoked no positive response at all from Beijing. Nor has all the talk about reopening negotiations for proper direct links been reciprocated with the same-degree of goodwill.

In fact, Beijing has further intensified its assault on Taiwan in the international arena and beefed up the number of missiles targeting Taiwan. Only last week, the White House issued a warning that China's speedy buildup of missiles aimed at Taiwan is "destabilizing." In contrast, the steady decline of Taiwan's defense budget as a percentage of total government spending has reached the point where the Pentagon has questioned the ability and will of Taiwan's military to modernize.

The arrest earlier this week of three suspected Chinese spies, who may have sold extremely confidential and sensitive military secrets to Beijing, ought to serve as yet another important caution to Taiwan; dropping our guard too easily and too quickly is not only foolish but will inevitably end up hurting us.

N Korea a smokescreen for China

By Paul Lin

July 27 was the 50th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended the Korean War. In that three-year war, which became primarily a war between the US and China in its later stages, the US side suffered over 100,000 casualties.

Because World War II was still a recent memory at the time of the Korean War and anti-war sentiment was quite strong, the US government treated the war in a relatively low-key manner. There was unwillingness to discuss the war in its aftermath, and thus it became known as "the forgotten war." China's volunteer army assembled to "oppose the US and assist Korea" suffered losses many times greater than those of the US side, but life is cheap in China. Moreover much of the "cannon fodder" consisted of KMT soldiers taken prisoner by the communist troops in China's own civil war. Naturally Beijing cared even less about their loss. Thus, for decades China has boasted of how it defeated "the paper tiger of US imperialism." However, for Taiwan and South Korea as well as for the US and the rest of the world, this is a war that should not be forgotten.

This war blocked the communist camp's further expansion -- a fact of extraordinary importance. Otherwise, most places on earth would have fallen under the red flag, a disaster for humanity. On this point, we should thank the US and the then still vigorous UN. Without them, Taiwan and South Korea would have been lost. They would have experienced the famines that hit China and North Korea in the late 1950s and early 1960s. There wouldn't be four "little dragons" in Asia, nor would we see democratic societies choosing their own presidents by popular election in these countries. But some people in Taiwan castigate their government for "kissing up to" the US, and in Korea there are also people with virulently anti-US sentiments. US citizens sacrificed their lives for these people. What did they get in return? Is business not for the benefit of all parties involved? Would Taiwan and South Korea now be "dragons" if the US hadn't opened up more markets? Unfortunately, some of these ingrates have simply gone all the way and identified themselves with the enemy.

Nor should the US forget this war. It was a war between freedom and dictatorship, democracy and authoritarianism. The ultimate objective of the expansion of communism was the leader of the Western nations, the US itself. Today, the Soviet Union has disintegrated, and the former Soviet republics are gradually evolving into democratic nations. But China is not and does not intend to change its authoritarian system. They aren't even willing to change the name "Communist Party." Thus, as the US allies itself with Beijing in the fight against terrorism, it must never forget Beijing's basic nature. The differences between China and North Korea are merely conflicts of interest between communist countries. For the sake of its own interests, Beijing will sacrifice some of North Korea's interests when necessary, but a corresponding price must be paid. When China was opposing the US and assisting Korea, it lost the opportunity to "liberate" Taiwan. Today, they are planning to feign the sacrifice of North Korea in exchange for the US abandonment of Taiwan. Politicians in the US must be wary of this and avoid letting the US be labelled a "fair-weather friend" because Taiwan is a democratic nation and not a dictatorship along the lines of Vietnam or Indonesia in years past.

Recently, North Korea agreed to multilateral talks with the US, China, Japan and South Korea on the problem of its nuclear weapons, but this should not be seen as a result of pressure being applied by China. In reality, North Korea has drawn in Russia and Japan in order to bargain with China. In the past, North Korea often walked a path between China and Russia, trying to win benefits from both sides. Now they are up to their old tricks once again. It's just that they have expanded their playing field.

Moreover, the fact that China is not terribly sincere about helping the US resolve the North Korean problem can also be seen from the following facts. We know the US has wanted all along to discuss the North Korean problem in the UN where greater pressure could be applied and where such discussion could be seen as a continuation of the UN's deployment of troops to the Korean Peninsula and the subsequent armistice. This is the most "legal" approach. If North Korea were to break its promises in the future, it would also be more convenient for the UN to step forward and impose sanctions. But as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China has consistently opposed this approach for its own private reasons. On July 29 of this year, however, when the UN Security Council committee responsible for sanctions against the Taliban and al-Qaeda was holding an open meeting, China's deputy permanent representative to the UN, Zhang Yishan, made a statement saying that last year the committee had listed the East Turkestan Islamic Movement among those groups against which sanctions would be imposed, and that the Chinese government hoped to list other terrorist organizations in East Turkestan on the same roster as well. At present, the anti-terrorist focus of the US and the rest of the world is on North Korea, but Beijing is most interested in dealing with separatist organizations at home. They itch to cast each and every one of them as a terrorist group. Isn't the true nature of Beijing's approach to fighting terrorism not perfectly clear?

Paul Lin is a political commentator based in New York.