¡@
Dalai Lama
says he hopes to visit Taiwan next year
DPA AND AFP, TAIPEI AND BEIJING
Sunday, Nov 30, 2008, Page 1
¡§The Tibet issue is related to China¡¦s sovereignty and territorial integrity
and touches on China¡¦s core interests.¡¨ ¡X Qin Gang, Chinese Foreign Ministry
spokesman
Tibet¡¦s exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, said on Friday he hopes to
visit Taiwan next year, in what would be his first visit in seven years and an
apparent reversal of a policy of avoiding the nation for fear of angering China.
¡§Taiwan-China ties are developing smoothly, so maybe this is a good time,¡¨ the
Dalai Lama told Elta TV in the northern Indian city of Dharamsala. ¡§I haven¡¦t
visited Taiwan for several years, but I have never forgotten Taiwan.¡¨
The Dalai Lama praised Taiwan¡¦s democracy in the televised interview.
¡§What is most precious about Taiwan is Taiwan¡¦s democracy. China kept talking
about liberating Taiwan, but in fact, it is not unlikely that Taiwan might
liberate China¡¦s dictatorship with Taiwan¡¦s democracy,¡¨ he said.
The Dalai Lama refused to predict the outcome of the Taipei- Beijing talks, but
said that given the current situation in China, it was very hard to achieve
concrete results.
¡§Look at Tibet. China keeps saying that the door to dialogue is always open, but
when we want to discuss details, they become very hard,¡¨ he said.
The Dalai Lama fled Tibet in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese
control. China accuses him of being a separatist, though he insists he favors
greater Tibetan autonomy, not independence.
The Dalai Lama visited Taiwan in 1997 and 2001 to give Buddhist lectures and
meet then president Lee Teng-hui (§õµn½÷). His representative office ¡X the Tibet
Foundation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama ¡X opened in Taipei in 1998.
Meanwhile, China said on Friday it was forced to react over a planned meeting
between French President Nicolas Sarkozy and the Dalai Lama, after postponing a
summit with the EU.
¡§China firmly opposes any contacts with the Dalai Lama by foreign leaders in
whatever form,¡¨ Qin Gang (¯³è) said in a statement quoted by the state-run Xinhua
news agency, repeating China¡¦s stance.
China on Wednesday scrapped the summit scheduled for next week in France, which
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (·Å®aÄ_) had been due to attend.
It directed its anger particularly at France because it holds the EU¡¦s rotating
presidency and because Sarkozy has insisted he will meet the Tibetan spiritual
leader in Poland on Dec. 6.
The Dalai Lama is also due to visit the Czech Republic and Belgium, where he is
scheduled to address the European Parliament in Brussels on Thursday.
France had brushed aside China¡¦s stance and bilateral relations, Xinhua quoted
Qin as saying.
¡§The Tibet issue is related to China¡¦s sovereignty and territorial integrity and
touches on China¡¦s core interests,¡¨ he said, adding that France had not
responded adequately to China¡¦s efforts to maintain good relations with it and
the EU.
¡§Therefore, the summit cannot be held in a sound atmosphere, nor can it achieve
expected goals. Under such circumstances, China has no choice but to postpone
the summit,¡¨ he was quoted as saying.
¡§The current situation is not caused by China, nor should China be held
responsible,¡¨ Qin said.
¡§We hope that France could proceed with an overall perspective, fulfil its
commitments, and properly deal with China¡¦s major concerns in earnest so as to
create conditions for the steady development of bilateral relations,¡¨ he said.
¡@
¡@
|
SHOW ME THE MONEY A protester who claimed to have lost money because of structured notes from Lehman Brothers holds up a sign that reads ¡§Shameless company, return my money¡¨ during a protest against the Taiwanese government calling for better protection against such investments. PHOTO: AP |
¡@
¡@
¡@
¡@
US command
adjusts its strategy
¡@
By Richard Halloran
Sunday, Nov 30, 2008, Page 8
The US Pacific Command, which controls US forces from the west coast of North
America to the east coast of Africa, has fashioned a subtle revision in its
strategy of reassuring friends and deterring potential enemies, notably China
and North Korea.
The new strategy, approved this month by the command¡¦s leader, Admiral Timothy
Keating, is ¡§based on partnership, presence and military readiness.¡¨ Earlier
versions were more assertive, saying ¡§it is a strategy rooted in partnership and
military preeminence.¡¨
In his cover letter authorizing the new strategy, Keating said ¡§it underscores
the fundamental importance of sustained and persistent cooperation and
collaboration in times of relative peace to mitigate situations that could lead
to conflict and crisis.¡¨
Many Asians and some Americans have accused the US of going it alone and failing
to consult with allies and friends, smacking of what some would call
¡§unilateralism.¡¨ In his 15 months as the Pacific commander, Keating has sought
to dispel that image and to stress collective action.
At the same time, the admiral said the emphasis on security cooperation ¡§does
not signal a departure from our primary responsibility to fight and win.¡¨
Even so, he said, the Pacific Command would accentuate a posture intended to
¡§preclude the necessity for combat operations.¡¨
Officers at the command¡¦s headquarters said the revised strategy was aimed at
several audiences:
First, the officers of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force throughout the
Asia-Pacific region, some of whom apparently believe that conflict with China is
likely, maybe inevitable.
¡§The command wants to make sure that everyone understands that it is not
inevitable,¡¨ one officer said.
Second, US government agencies other than the Department of Defense. An
undercurrent rumbling through the armed forces contends that the State
Department, Agency for International Development, Treasury and other agencies
are leaving too many non-military tasks, such as reconstruction in Iraq, to the
military.
Third, allies such as Japan and Australia and partners such as Singapore.
Another undercurrent represents fears that the US may reduce its forces in the
Asia-Pacific region or even withdraw. The strategy seeks to reassure everyone
that the command will be ¡§an engaged and trusted partner committed to preserving
the security¡¨ of the region.
Fourth, known adversaries such as North Korea and potential opponents such as
China.
¡§Deterring conflict on the Korean Peninsula continues to be a priority,¡¨ the
strategy says.
It points to a ¡§maturing US-China military-to-military relationship¡¨ while
acknowledging that ¡§tension remains across the Taiwan Strait.¡¨
Taiwan, of course, is the most likely cause of war between China and the US.
Beijing contends that Taiwan is part of China and has threatened to use military
force to conquer it. The US insists that the fate of Taiwan be determined
peaceably and in accord with the wishes of the people.
The revised strategy calls for a ¡§whole-of-government approach,¡¨ asserting that
security in the Asia-Pacific region ¡§demands a high degree of coordination,
integration and unity of effort¡¨ within the Pentagon and across other
departments and agencies.
The document applauds Australia and Japan for joining the US ¡§in developing a
trilateral partnership dedicated to improving security in the region.¡¨
It further points to trilateral cooperation among the US, South Korea and Japan,
which may be no more than a diplomatic nicety as the Japanese disdain the
Koreans and the Koreans distrust the Japanese. The US tries to deal with each
even handedly but rarely do they work together.
Among the strategy¡¦s more striking pledges is the Pacific Command¡¦s commitment
to freedom of movement, particularly through the Straits of Malacca and South
China Sea. More ships sail through that passage in a year that through the Suez
and Panama canals combined. The document flatly states that the command will not
¡§tolerate disruptions to global supply chains or threats to lines of
communication and commerce.¡¨
On China, the Pacific Command has sought for more than a decade to assure the
Chinese that the US is not out to contain or repress China. At the same time,
Pacific commanders have cautioned the Chinese not to underestimate US military
power in the Asia-Pacific region nor the willingness of the US to use it.
Even with the emphasis on partnership, the strategy concludes on an assertive
note: In the Asia-Pacific region, the command is to be the ¡§pre-eminent
warfighter.¡¨
Richard Halloran is a writer based in
Hawaii.
¡@