23 February 2000
China Taiwan Threats Seen as Regional Security Risk
(Bacon addresses global U.S. defense issues) (860) By Susan Ellis Washington File Staff Writer Washington -- Any use of force by China against Taiwan would be seen by the United States "as a threat to the security in the South China Sea area and in Asia generally ... and the administration would consult with Congress over the appropriate response," according to Pentagon spokesman Ken Bacon. In a briefing to foreign journalists at the State Department's Foreign Press Center in Washington February 23, Bacon commented on a statement by Defense Under Secretary Walter Slocombe, quoted in a U.S. newspaper, that China would face "incalculable consequences" if it followed through on threats to use force against Taiwan. China issued that threat in a policy statement February 22 demanding that Taiwan must start negotiations on reunification. "Under Secretary Slocombe didn't say anything new about our policy," Bacon said. U.S. policy, he said, is governed by the Taiwan Relations Act which says the United States supports a "One China" policy and supports the peaceful resolution of disputes between China and Taiwan. The briefing by Bacon also focused on Defense Secretary Cohen's recently completed trip to Morocco and South Africa and on related sub-Saharan African issues. Bacon said bad weather had forced a detour around Nigeria, but that Cohen would pick up that part of the trip the second week of March. "Obviously, South Africa and Nigeria are key to peace and stability on the African continent," Bacon said. "We hope that we can develop good defense relationships with both of these countries," not in order to increase weapons sales "but rather to develop capable militaries that operate under civilian control; that can provide the security and defense skills needed for the country to meet its needs; but also to leave plenty of money for economic development and other steps that we think are key to long-term stability on the continent." He said the United States hopes to work with the militaries "so they will support democratic governments in both Nigeria and South Africa, so they will recognize human rights and ... also so that they can be not only stabilizing influences in their own country but help participate in regional peacekeeping or stability-generating operations." To that end, Bacon said, the United States supports several multinational programs in Africa, including the African Crisis Response Initiative (ACRI), to train peacekeepers in seven African countries, and the African Center for Strategic Studies. The latter he described as "a moving school, which had its first session in Senegal in November. Its next session will be in June in Botswana." The center teaches representatives from African countries in three basic areas, he said, listing: -- developing strategic visions and plans for the countries' militaries; -- budgeting to meet those plans; and -- civil-military relations, or maintaining civilian control over the military. Bacon noted that on February 24 in Cape Town a several-day meeting will convene to examine the relations between the military and the South African Parliament. The goal, he said, is to work with the newly-democratic and representative South African parliamentarians, teaching them how to devise a defense budget; monitor performance, and set up defense-related programs. In the South African parliament, he said, "there is a great desire on the part of parliamentarians to learn some of these important technical skills." Cohen met with the defense committees of parliament on his recent trip to discuss some of these questions with them, Bacon said. On other subjects, Bacon said the issue of relocating the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station at Futenma in Okinawa should be dealt with by the government of Japan in Tokyo and the government of Okinawa. However, he said, "We've made it very clear that we don't believe there should be a limit on security. The reason we have forces in Japan is to provide security to Japan and throughout the Asia Pacific region. And we don't believe that anybody can be certain that security threats will go away in 15 years." Cohen will travel to Asia, stopping in Japan in March, and will visit Beijing later in the year, Bacon said. Asked about U.S. missile defense plans, Bacon said the United States is working to build theatre missile defense (TMD) systems "that can protect our troops and our allies in specific areas, such as an area in the Gulf or our troops in Korea, from threats that would come from nearby countries." This is distinguished from a national missile defense system which aims to protect the United States from long-range strategic threats, he said. "Our work on theatre missile defense is continuing. We have taken the basic Patriot system, which we had during the Gulf War, and modernized that," Bacon said. "We're in the process of beginning to deploy the new version, Patriot III." Cohen will visit the Persian Gulf soon to discuss theatre missile defense with the countries in the region, he said. (The Washington File is a product of the Office of International Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: usinfo.state.gov)
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