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US policy like China¡¦s
Monday, Mar 01, 2010, Page 8
Two points in Parris Chang¡¦s op-ed article (¡§Justifying US arms sales to
Taiwan,¡¨ Feb. 22, page 8) need some elaboration.
First, Chang makes the point, ¡§For 30 years, the US has observed a ¡¥one China¡¦
policy, but the definition of that policy is vastly different to Beijing¡¦s.¡¨ The
US policy, although somewhat ambiguous, is indistinguishable from China¡¦s in my
opinion. In 1992, the Republic of China (ROC), under a Chinese Nationalist Party
(KMT) government, said it does not have any territorial claims on China,
implying, at the very least, a One China, One Taiwan policy.
In 1999, former US secretary of state Madeleine Albright completely repudiated
the idea of ¡§state to state¡¨ relations proposed by former president Lee Tung-hui
(§õµn½÷). Here the US clearly refuses to acknowledge Taiwan as a nation. If there
are differences from Beijing¡¦s stance, such nuances are indiscernible to mere
mortals.
During the admistration of former president Chen Shui-bian (³¯¤ô«ó), despite
Taiwan¡¦s repeated pledges to maintain the ¡§status quo,¡¨ the US treated this
country as an international pariah; a truly shameful, hostile attitude toward a
supposed democratic ally under siege by a powerful dictatorship.
Second, while it can be agreed that the weapons included in the recent US arms
sale to Taiwan are defensive, their efficacy in short-term defense is debatable.
The biggest item, Patriot missiles, is virtually untested in combat and the
missiles¡¦ early, mediocre performance in the first Gulf War nearly 20 years ago
is not reassuring in light of the vast advances that have been made in offensive
missile technology.
China is probably just interested in opportunistic US bashing over the arms sale
(it does not bother to be critical of Taiwan), knowing that poor Taiwan is just
a victim being forced to buy up obsolete white elephant sale items so as to
avoid complete abandonment by US ¡§friends.¡¨
These weapons suck up Taiwan¡¦s financial resources but add nothing to rectifying
the growing military imbalance across the Taiwan Strait. China knows that best
but the current KMT government here acquiesces in buying this junk because not
to do so would raise real fears about its headlong embrace of China.
John Hanna
Taoyuan
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