Red China is a nervous, unstable and menacing empire. Yet, ignoring
the unmistakable lessons of history, the Clinton administration is
pursuing a reckless policy of appeasement towards Beijing.
Given the credible allegations that the Clinton administration
willfully turned a blind eye to China’s ongoing nuclear espionage while
lapping up its illegal campaign contributions, you would think that
Clinton would be more circumspect in his dealings with China. But you’d
have to think again.
Indeed, after the accidental bombing of China’s embassy in Belgrade,
Clinton must have groveled in apology a half a dozen times, only to be
persistently rebuffed by the Communist regime. Only a week ago did China
deign to forgive us for our “egregious misconduct.” And I don’t remember
a word of reprimand from Clinton about the theft of our nuclear
technology.
Apart from Clinton’s motivations, the United States better wake up to
the growing problems facing China and what they portend for the entire
east Asian region.
Signs of Beijing’s instability and paranoia are everywhere. Twenty
years of market reforms have undermined the Communist Party’s dominance.
China’s economy is in trouble with millions of workers losing their
jobs.
A fierce power struggle adds to the chaos. Communist Party
hard-liners and the military, who long for the good old days under Mao,
are pressing for a tougher line in Beijing.
The government is repressing dissidents with an intensity not seen
since the Tiananmen Square atrocity. Thousands of demonstrators have
been detained, and many have been sentenced to 10 or more years in
prison.
Last week, Beijing initiated a nationwide crackdown against the 10
million member Falun Gong sect. The Washington Post reports that this
organization is not simply a fringe movement, but a spiritual sect
competing with the Communist Party for the hearts and minds of its young
people.
But the Communist regime’s aggressive behavior hasn’t been limited to
its domestic policies. China has been increasing military spending for
the last 10 years to about $30 billion a year. More disturbingly, it has
become increasingly imperialistic towards Taiwan, Japan and the
Philippines, and according to some experts, has its sights set on the
Panama Canal.
In the current issue of the “New American,” Adm. Thomas H. Moorer
warns that the United States is sleepwalking on a course to sure
destruction. He argues that by planning to transfer “this strategic
canal not to Panama, but to whichever power moves in to fill the
vacuum,” the People’s Republic of China will gain control of this
“critically important asset.”
Instead of confronting China, we are rewarding it. And it’s not just
Clinton. Congress voted Tuesday to maintain most-favored-nation status
(normal trade relations) with China.
But China’s bellicose actions towards Taiwan pose the most immediate
threat. Recent problems began in early July when Taiwan President Lee
Teng-hui demanded that China treat Taiwan as an independent state,
rather than a renegade province. This drew a swift and ferocious rebuke
from Beijing, which insists that Taiwan is part of China. Flexing its
muscles, China boasted that it had neutron bomb technology and placed
troops on a heightened state of alert.
Taiwan’s statement was in response to China’s deliberate attempt to
isolate it from the international community. Taiwan has consistently
maintained that it would only reunite with China under democratic rule.
The Clinton administration, true to its continuing sellout to China,
strongly criticized Taiwan for its statement and sent a representative
to pressure Taiwan to soften its position.
Bill Clinton was one of the most outspoken critics of Serbia’s Slobo,
likening him to Hitler. His refusal similarly to condemn China while
reproving Taiwan demonstrates that it is not oppressive governments that
he opposes, but only ones that do not augment his campaign war chest.
Clinton, and others advocating U.S. military intervention in Kosovo,
argued that Slobo posed a threat to European stability. That was a
disingenuous argument born of convenience.
But Serbia’s potential impact on Europe stands in sharp contrast to
China’s destabilizing capacity in East Asia and the remainder of the
world. There can no longer be any doubt that Red China has replaced the
Soviet Union as the world’s foremost evil empire.
Our policy of placation towards China is dangerously shortsighted. By
failing to confront China over Taiwan (not to mention the theft of our
nuclear technology), the United States is inviting more ominous
aggression across the Taiwan Strait.
Totalitarian states like Red China are congenitally incapable of
responding to conciliatory diplomacy. They only understand force and
threats of force. It’s time to put Beijing on notice that military
action against Taiwan will not be tolerated.
