Rense.com
7 Congressmen Demand
China Dismantle
Taiwan-Aimed Missiles
By Charles Snyder
Staff Reporter In Washington
Taipei Times
| Seven members of the US House of Representatives, including
a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, have introduced
legislation in the House demanding that China dismantle the hundreds of
ballistic missiles it has deployed across the Strait aimed at Taiwan and
renounce the use of force against Taiwan. If China does not eliminate the missiles, the resolution says, President George W. Bush should authorize the sale to Taiwan of the Aegis anti-missile system, "which would enable Taiwan to defend itself against the threat of a missile attack by China." The legislation, which is a non-binding "sense of Congress" measure, also states that "the future of Taiwan should be determined peacefully and with the express consent of the people of Taiwan." The measure rejects any administration move to accept an offer made by then Chinese president Jiang Zemin (ÏÀÀA´ç) in talks with Bush last October to withdraw missiles in exchange for a reduction in US arms sales to Taiwan. The legislation was spearheaded by congressman Robert Andrews, a Democrat, and by Joel Hefley, a Republican who is vice chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. Other sponsors include David Wu of Oregon, the first Taiwan-born member to be elected to Congress. The bill was referred to the House International Relations Committee, which under chairman Henry Hyde has been more than willing to help Taiwan legislatively. But it came just as Congress was going home for a week-long Independence Day holiday, so no action is likely before the middle of next month. Noting that for more than a half century a close relationship has existed between the US and Taiwan which "has been of enormous economic, cultural and strategic advantages to both countries," the bill calls Taiwan a "full-fledged democracy" and an "ally of the United States" which has extended humanitarian aid to Afghanistan and support for the Iraq war. It describes China's deployment of more than 400 short-range ballistic missiles as a threat to Taiwan's security and cites the US commitments under the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 to maintain Taiwan's defense security. The resolution says that "grave concerns exist concerning the deployment" of the missiles, "which threaten security and stability in the Taiwan Strait." It calls on Bush to "direct all appropriate United States officials" to raise this with China and "seek a public, immediate and unequivocal renunciation from the leaders of the People's Republic of China of any threat or use of force against Taiwan. "China should dismantle the missiles that threaten Taiwan, otherwise the President should authorize the sale of the Aegis system to Taiwan," the bill says. In April 2001, when Bush agreed to a massive weapons sale to Taiwan, he pointedly excluded the Arleigh-Burke-class destroyers equipped with the sophisticated Aegis system after China reportedly objected to the sale, reportedly drawing a "red line" between the Aegis and any other weapons system Washington was considering in the deal at the time. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2003/06/30/2003057441 |
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