Defending Taiwan

Two weeks ago, President Lee Teng-hui said that Taiwan and China must
proceed as two states in one country. The Chinese Communists read this
statement as a declaration of independence. They vowed to prevent Taiwan
from becoming an independent country even if they had to invade Taiwan.

Last week, I asked if the Clinton administration would honor our
treaty to protect and defend Taiwan against a Communist Chinese attack.
The first responses from Clinton are a cause of great concern for those
of us who love America and love freedom.

Wednesday, the Washington Times reported that the Clinton
administration canceled a visit by Pentagon officials to discuss
air-defense cooperation with the Taiwanese. The purpose of the canceled
visit was to develop a strategy to counter China’s growing short-range
missile force.

The Washington Times also said that the Clinton Administration was
punishing Taiwan’s pro-independence statements by:

• Considering a cutoff of U.S. military assistance as a sign of
  displeasure of Taipei’s pro-independence comments

• Delaying plans to sell Taiwan E-2 surveillance aircraft

• Considering cutting off the sale of spare parts deliveries for
  Taiwan’s U.S.-made F-16 jets

The battle over Taiwan has broad implications for America’s national
security in the coming century. Any Communist short-range missile that
can reach Taiwan can also reach South Korea and Japan. The battle over
Taiwan is a battle over who will control Asia, the people of each
country or the Communist Chinese.

For the past half-century, American presidents of both parties have
tried to have it both ways. On the one hand they have endorsed the
Communist Chinese “One China” policy. Under this policy, the Communist
Chinese say that Taiwan is a breakaway state that they must eventually
bring back into the fold. They say that, if necessary, they will do this
by force.

The problem with the One China policy is that Taiwan has been
independent for most of its history. America’s allies created the
Republic of China, the official name for Taiwan, after World War II.
Taiwan has been a steadfast ally of the United States and an important
trading partner. In addition, Taiwan is a vital example of the vibrancy
of democratic and market-based principles.

Despite our One China policy, America has sold billions of dollars
worth of weapons to Taiwan. In addition, the Taiwan Relations Act is a
treaty that requires the United States to defend Taiwan against attack
by China or any other aggressor. Nevertheless, it is one thing to have a
treaty in writing; it is another to send troops into war.

In 1996, the Clinton administration sent two aircraft carrier battle
groups into the straits between Taiwan and China to stop the Communists
from invading Taiwan. I fear that the Communist Chinese believe America
will not go to war to protect Taiwan so soon after Kosovo. I fear that
the North Koreans believe America will not go to war to protect South
Korea so soon after Kosovo. I fear that the Clinton/Gore administration
will not do what’s in the long-term best interests of America or our
Asian allies.

Remember the old domino theory? Eisenhower, Kennedy, LBJ and then
Nixon all believed that if we didn’t stop the Communist in Vietnam, all
of Southeast Asia would fall to the Communist Chinese. The only problem
with this theory was that it meant that we had to support a corrupt and
incompetent dictatorship in South Vietnam.

Now we have another chance to get things right. If we abandon our
treaty with Taiwan, we will be throwing South Korea to the wolves. If we
refuse to protect Taiwan from Chinese Communist aggression, we will be
giving a green light to the North Koreans to invade South Korea. If we
fail to stand up to the Communist Chinese threats, we will put the lives
of our 35,000 soldiers in South Korea at risk.

The implications of caving into the Communist Chinese are even more
significant when we look at Japan. If Taiwan and South Korea fall, Japan
will have no choice but to again arm for war. In the process, America
will lose a valued ally and economic partner. If Japanese corporations
and the Government of Japan are forced to cash in their American
government securities, they will plunge our economy into a depression.

Going to war to protect the Kosovar Albanians was irrelevant to
America’s national security interests. Protecting Taiwan goes to the
heart of America’s national security interests. If we allow the
Communist Chinese to invade Taiwan and destroy a vibrant democratic,
capitalist country, we defile everything that America is supposed to
represent. If we Welch on our word to the Taiwanese, no American treaty
will be worth the paper we write it on.