China's latest threat to take military action against Taiwan
indicates that hard-line Communists are the dominant power in
Beijing, a Chinese democracy activist said yesterday.
``The white paper is the product of extreme hard-liners,'' said
Wei
Jingsheng, a dissident activist who spent 19 years as a
political
prisoner in a Chinese forced labor camp.
``They have already decided to invade Taiwan, and this is the
document they issued to show to the world their intention,'' he
added.
Mr. Wei said during a meeting with reporters and editors of The
Washington Times that Congress should reject legislation
granting
China permanent favorable trade status because approving it
would end
political leverage used against China over human rights abuses.
He also said many U.S. government officials and private China
analysts have failed to understand the threat posed by China's
Communist government.
``They are wolf-like and are not going to change their nature,''
he said.
Mr. Wei is considered the father of China's democracy movement.
He
was imprisoned in 1979 for writing a street poster that said,
``Without democracy, there can be no modernization.'' He was
expelled
from the country in 1997.
The Clinton administration's pro-China policies have helped
support
the hard-line Communists in Beijing who believe they can
influence
U.S. policy through threats and intimidation, Mr. Wei said.
Asked if there is a danger of conflict between the United States
and
China, Mr. Wei said both sides are ``overconfident,'' and that
could
lead to ``a clash.'' He noted that when Japan attacked Pearl
Harbor
in 1941 many believed Japan was not strong enough, a situation
similar to China today.
China fought the United States in Korea, and ``the Chinese
military .
. . are extremely confident they will give the American military
another bloody nose,'' Mr. Wei said.
China's government on Feb. 21 issued a white paper setting a new
condition for its use of military force against Taiwan.
In the past, China had said it would attack the island if it
declared
independence, developed nuclear weapons or was invaded by a
foreign
power.
The white paper stated that force is an option if Taiwan refuses
to
engage in talks on reunification.
Taiwan is set to hold presidential elections Saturday, and the
Chinese military and Communist Party leadership have issued a
series
of harsh statements in an apparent attempt to discourage
discussion
of independence among the candidates.
China's military newspaper, the Liberation Army Daily, also
threatened the United States with ``long range strikes'' -- a
reference to its nuclear missile arsenal -- if it defends
Taiwan.
Mr. Wei said that while he is convinced the decision to use
force
against Taiwan already has been made, the timing will depend on
the
unity of the West against such action and China's desire for
access
to U.S. financial markets.
China's rulers believe a precondition for military action
against
Taiwan would be to weaken the Western alliance, he said.
Also, another deterrent to a conflict against Taiwan is that
China,
which has stolen and purchased large amount of military
technology,
needs Western capital to develop it into weapons systems.
``Once they have enough capital, they can manufacture the
technology
they already have to fight the war they intend to fight,'' Mr.
Wei
said.
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Washington Times
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Didn't we go through a similar drill back in the 50s when we were help Quenoy, Mastu Island and Tiawan.... Maybe qwe can get a star on our China Service Medal!!!!
bomber
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