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Angry nation: China responds to Bush Taiwan comments
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2001-05-24 14:04
编辑:
system
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China on Thursday issued a harsh rebuttal to President Bush's promise of military support for Taiwan, accusing him of violating his commitment to Beijing.
In an interview taped Tuesday but aired Wednesday on ABCNEWS' Good Morning America, Bush said the United States would do "whatever it took" to defend the island if it were ever attacked by China.
While aides scrambled to explain that his remarks were not a departure from current policy, the Chinese government was infuriated.
"This shows (the United States) has drifted further on a dangerous road," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said today. She reiterated Beijing's stance that Taiwan is part of China and "not a protectorate of any foreign country."
SERIOUS AND RESOLUTE
Clearly sensing there would be some fallout in China after what is believed to be the strongest and most direct statement of support for Taiwan by a U.S. president ever, top White House officials insisted Wednesday that the president's remarks were not a departure in policy.
National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice said the Taiwan Relations Act makes clear that the United States has an obligation to maintain the island's peaceful way of life.
Rice said Bush's comments show how seriously and resolutely he takes this obligation. Rice added that a secure Taiwan would be in a better position to engage in a dialogue with Beijing.
A senior administration official traveling with the president in Arkansas said the Chinese military buildup made it even more important for the president to make a clear statement about his intention to defend Taiwan.
State Department spokesman Philip Reeker told reporters there was no change in change in U.S. policy toward Taiwan.
"We expect any dispute to be resolved peacefully. The president's said that. We expect, hope, believe that peaceful resolutions are possible. He said that the Chinese have to hear that we'll uphold the spirit of the Taiwan Relations Act," Reeker said
FULL FORCE OF THE US MILITARY?
In the interview, which was taped on Tuesday, Bush was asked if the nation has an obligation to defend Taiwan.
"Yes, we do, and the Chinese must understand that," he said.
Asked if his commitment would be backed up with the full force of the U.S. military, Bush replied: "Whatever it took to help Taiwan defend herself."
In interviews with CNN and The Associated Press later Wednesday, Bush softened his stance, only saying military force is "certainly an option" if China were to invade Taiwan.
He also reiterated Washington's commitment to the one-China policy, and did not say the use of U.S. military force would be considered if Taiwan were to declare independence.
"A declaration of independence is not the one-China policy, and we will work with Taiwan to make sure that that doesn't happen," he told CNN. "We need a peaceful resolution of this issue."
The comments follow the administration's notice to the Taiwanese government that it could buy new military hardware - but not the U.S. Navy's most advanced radar technology - to fend off a potential threat from China.
The potential sale is being viewed as a strong commitment by Bush to Taiwan, which China has long viewed as a renegade province.
"GOING A LOT FARTHER'
Bush's comments appear to mark a significant change in policy regarding U.S. rhetoric on the Taiwan issue.
Under the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, Washington is pledged to provide Taiwan with "such defense articles and defense services ... as may be necessary to enable Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability." But a U.S. president has never articulated that the United States would actually undertake military action, as opposed to arming Taiwan to defend itself.
Joseph Cirincione, director of the Non-Proliferation Project at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, said, "I don't think any American president has ever committed carte blanche like that before."
The change in tone has drawn some fire. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., took the president to task for not adhering to "strategic ambiguity" in his comments on Taiwan.
"We have been deliberately vague about the circumstances under which we would come to Taiwan's defense, not only to discourage Taiwan from drawing us in by declaring independence but also to deter a Chinese attack by keeping Beijing guessing," he said on the Senate floor.
Bush's words come a day after a U.S. delegation, led by Deputy Assistant Defense Secretary Fred Smith, delivered the U.S. arms sale decision in a secret three-hour meeting with Taiwanese officials at Fort McNair, a U.S. Army base in Washington.
At the meeting, the Taiwanese were told Bush had decided he would not - at least for now - let Taiwan buy super-sophisticated naval destroyers this year. Both Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Colin Powell had recommended that Bush forgo sales of missile destroyers with advanced Aegis systems.
Fearing an invasion from mainland China, the Taiwanese government has been asking for the most high-powered new destroyers and radar gear. While the $1 billion Aegis-equipped ships will not be in Taiwan's shopping cart this year, the White House is signaling that if China further increases its saber rattling toward Taiwan, the situation could change.
"The president believes very strongly that the best way to promote peace and stability is to make certain that Taiwan has the means necessary to secure its defense needs," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said, explaining the decision. "And this decision was made on the president's determination on how best to secure the peace and to provide Taiwan with the means necessary to defend itself."
The sale will not be everything Taiwan wants, but it will amount to the largest arms sale to the nation in nearly a decade - a fact that has angered mainland China.
Chinese Ambassador Yang Jiechi this morning delivered a formal protest of the decision to U.S. Undersecretary of State Marc Grossman, said Reeker, the State Department spokesman.
Relations with China have suffered a major setback in recent weeks, with Beijing's 11-day detention of the crew of a U.S. surveillance plane that made an emergency landing on China's Hainan Island after a collision with a Chinese fighter jet. The pilot of the Chinese aircraft was lost.
Many lawmakers, especially Republicans, had been pressuring Bush to provide Taiwan with more and better weapons. The lawmakers say the surveillance plane incident demonstrated a need to counter Chinese aggressiveness and expansionism.
TAIWAN'S SHOPPING LIST
The United States will sell the following to Taiwan, according to the White House:
l Four Kidd-class destroyers ready by 2003.
l 12 P-3C Orion aircraft.
l Eight diesel submarines designed to counter blockades and invasions.
l Paladin self-propelled artillery system.
l MH-53E minesweeping helicopters.
l AAV7A1 Amphibious Assault Vehicles.
l Mk 48 torpedoes without advanced capabilities.
l Avenger surface-to-air missile system.
l Submarine-launched and surface-launched torpedoes.
l Aircraft survivability equipment.
l The United States also will give Taiwan a technical briefing on the Patriot anti-missile system the island has been developing.
WEAPONS SYSTEMS FACTS
l Diesel Submarine
These have not yet been constructed but are expected to be built on a German or Dutch design and manufactured in one of those countries.
The subs would be intended primarily for anti-blockade operations and to counter China's growing fleet of modern subs and ships.
They are expected to be able to carry MK-48 torpedoes, but probably will not have a land-attack missile capability.
l Kidd-class Destroyer
Initially built for the shah of Iran but acquired by the U.S. Navy in 1979, and then decommissioned in 1998.
Geared for general warfare and capable of operating offensively to deal with simultaneous air, surface and subsurface attacks.
l P-3C Orion Aircraft
Land-based, long-range surveillance aircraft, primary used in antisubmarine or antisurface warfare.
Can also carry a mixed payload of weapons internally and on wing pylons.
l Paladin M109A6 Self-Propelled Artillery System
Used by military forces in the United States, Israel and Kuwait, this cannon artillery system can fire up to eight rounds per minute or three rounds per 15 seconds.
Has a range of 214 miles with a maximum speed of 40 miles per hour.
l MH-53E Minesweeping Helicopter
Minesweeping version of the extremely versatile CH-53E, one of the world's largest and heaviest helicopters.
Six of these aircraft were used during Operation Desert Shield/Storm. It has proved to be an excellent mine-countermeasures platform.
l AAV7A1 Amphibious Assault Vehicle
Designed to provide armor protection, command, control, and repair capabilities while transporting troops and cargo from ship to shore.
Able to negotiate 10-foot plunging surf, and all kinds of terrain, with a top speed of 45 mph.
l MK-48 Torpedo
A heavyweight torpedo designed to combat fast, deep-diving nuclear submarines and high-performance surface ships, carried by all Navy submarines.
They can use active and/or passive homing, and can conduct multiple reattacks if they miss the target.
l Avenger Missile System
Lightweight, highly mobile and air transportable surface-to-air missile systems, typically mounted on the back of a Humvee.
Includes eight Stinger missiles in two turret-mounted launch pods and can fire from a moving or stationary position.
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