WASHINGTON `COMMITTED' TO TAIWAN'S DEFENSE: WEINBERGER
Washington, Aug. 27 (CNA) One thing should be made eminently clear to mainland China: "The United States is absolutely committed to the defense of Taiwan and will not permit it to be overrun," stressed a former US defense secretary.
In the September issue of Forbes magazine, Casper Weinberger said the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) strongly implies this, but passage of the proposed Taiwan Security Enhancement Act would send the message unmistakably.
Weinberger said that because the Clinton administration has wavered too often regarding Taiwan, "there is now a genuine fear that China might believe it could, with impunity, attack Taiwan, while we sit by helplessly, seeking a UN vote of disapproval, but doing little else."
Were this to happen, the former US defense chief warned, "it would be the crowning error of all this administration's foreign policy mistakes, and a legacy of catastrophic proportions for Mr. (Bill) Clinton."
Weinberger noted that after Britain and France sold out Czechoslovakia to secure the infamous Munich Pact with Hitler and Mussolini in 1938, some Czech leaders were incautious enough to protest their loss of freedom and the dismemberment of their country. In reporting those objections to Neville Chamberlain, British foreign office officials referred to the protesters as "these blasted Czechs."
He was reminded of that when Secretary of State Madeleine Albright all but ground her teeth in public annoyance at Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui and sent envoys to Taipei to remind him of the error of his ways, said Weinberger.
Lee's offense? Weinberger pointed out that he had restated an obvious truth -- that Taiwan's relationship with the mainland is one of "state to state." Lee's very able negotiator in the cross-strait talks with Beijing, Koo Chen-fu, said exactly the same thing. Koo reiterated that while both sides seek reunification, Taiwan will only consider it after the mainland moves toward democracy, freedom and rights for the individual.
Weinberger added that the US response has been to blame Taiwan -- as Czechoslovakia was blamed in 1938 -- and demand Lee retract his statements. "Our position seems designed to continue the appeasement of China that President Clinton began on his ill-fated trip there in 1998 ... and we are encouraging the PRC in an extremely dangerous way."
He continued that Taiwan has been making increasingly urgent requests for defensive arms, particularly an early warning radar system, but the Clinton administration has consistently answered the requests with excuses and delays. Against this backdrop, Senators Jesse Helms (R-NC) and Robert Torricelli (D-NJ) have introduced The Taiwan Security Enhancement Act, which would lift restrictions on the sales of defensive arms to Taiwan and authorize sales of key weapons systems, including theater missile defenses.
The former defense secretary said the TRA, enacted after President Jimmy Carter abandoned Taiwan, was carefully crafted to leave the US room to be able to come to Taiwan's aid. Unfortunately, many people mistakenly believe the Aug. 17, 1982 Communique with Beijing overrides and reverses the major provisions of the TRA because the Communique states that the US eventually will end arms sales to Taiwan.
Weinberger said he is convinced that the Taiwan Security Enhancement Act would clear up any misconceptions. Hearings on the bill have amply shown the need for such legislation. There has been surprising support for the principles of the bill from the Democratic side, but in view of the lack of time before Congress adjourns for the holidays, it is doubtful the measure can be enacted this year, he said. (By Nelson Chung)
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