Taiwan, China, and US Arms Sales

Lung-chu Chen

Recently, Chinese leaders, including Premier Zhu Rongji and President Jiang Zemin, have expressed strong oppositions to forthcoming U.S. sales of advanced weapons to Taiwan. In their views, such sales would fortify Taiwan's independence and could hasten China's preemptive attack on Taiwan.

As Chinese economy grows, China's expansionist militarism has become ever more apparent, as exemplified by a huge increase in military budgets, purchases of advanced weapons from Russia, expanded deployment of missiles, and so on. The Chinese military expansionism has not only heightened its threats on Taiwan, but also posed new threats to the United States and Japan.

A peaceful settlement of the Taiwan-China disputs without recourse to military force is mandated by U.N. Charter principles and expresses the common desire of the 23 million people of Taiwan. Taiwan's efforts to acquire advanced weapons are necessary for its own self-defense and essential to the peace and security in the Taiwan Strait area. Living under the shadow of China's constant threats to annex Taiwan under the pretext of the so-called "one China" principle, Taiwan has no choice but to equip itself for self-defense, both individual and collective.

It would appear that the best way for China to prevent U.S. sales of advanced weapons to Taiwan is to remove those hundreds of missiles targeting Taiwan and to renounce publicly the threat or use of force against Taiwan. Chinese leaders could divert the resources thus saved for peaceful and constructive purposes, to enhance the quality of life and well-being of their own citizens.