Do not make the mistake of thinking that because my conclusion is the same as another person's that my reasoning is the same
China Warns Taiwan That Attack May Be 'Unavoidable'
General Condemns President's Moves Toward Independence
By John Pomfret
Washington Post Foreign Service
Thursday, November 20, 2003; Page A28
BEIJING, Nov. 19 -- For the first time in more than three years, China has openly threatened to attack Taiwan, warning President Chen Shui-bian to curb recent moves it said were intended to bring Taiwan closer to formal independence.
Chinese Premier Presses U.S. on Taiwan, Trade
Wen Addresses Wide Range of Issues
By John Pomfret and Philip P. Pan
Washington Post Foreign Service
Sunday, November 23, 2003; Page A01
BEIJING, Nov. 22 -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao called on the United States to deter Taiwan from adopting laws that could pave the way for a referendum on the island's independence, warning that China would "pay any price to safeguard the unity of the motherland."
…He pledged to "develop democracy," protect human rights and improve China's legal system. But he all but ruled out talks with Tibet's Dalai Lama, and he rejected bold reform of China's one-party political system.
"Conditions are not ripe for direct elections at the higher levels," he said. "The first hindrance in my view is the inadequate education level of the population."
Posted by P6 at November 23, 2003 07:29 AM | Trackback URL: http://www.prometheus6.org/mt/mt-tb.cgi/2356For the first time in more than three years
Wow, they had been quiet for three whole years. Obviously we ruined a major reform.
A three year hiatus in a 50 year cold war is nothing. Nothing had thawed, and this is just business as usual.
Darn I'm too slow. Three years of not overtly threatening Taiwan doesn't suggest that they learned the tactic from Bush unless you think he taught it to them before he became president.
Bush hasn't taught anyone the tactic of not overtly threatening anyone. That's not even implied. What they learned from Bush is that such non-overt pressure is unstylish in the 21st century.
Your comment really implies a very US-centric view of Chinese intellectual capacity. The Chinese knew how to threaten nearby countries with war hundreds if not thousands of years before George Washington was born.
Your comment really implies a very US-centric view of Chinese intellectual capacity
Isn't US-centrism all the rage nowadays?
Just because something is all the rage doesn't make it correct. Just look at post-modern 'analysis'. :)