------------------------- Via Workers World News Service Reprinted from the May 3, 2001 issue of Workers World newspaper ------------------------- EDITORIAL: BUSH THREATENS CHINA By making an unprecedented threat to intervene militarily in any battle between the People's Republic of China and its province of Taiwan, U.S. President George Bush has again openly displayed the aggressive character of his administration toward China. First with the arrogant spy- plane offensive, then with the promise of modern weapons to Taiwan, and now with an open threat Bush is trying to intimidate Beijing. Bush, asked on ABC's "Good Morning America" whether Washington had an obligation to intervene on Taipai's side against Beijing, he answered, "Yes, we do and the Chinese must understand that." It was the first such statement by any U.S. president that made no effort to disguise his policy. It was an open threat. These aggressive words followed quickly behind Bush's aggressive deeds. He had just authorized the delivery of $4 billion in offensive weapons to the capitalist island province. These weapons include four Kidd class destroyers, a dozen anti-submarine P-3 '' submarine hunter aircraft and eight diesel submarines built in Europe, plus other weapons. That Bush hesitated to include the ultramodern "Aegis" naval air-defense system in the arms deal has less meaning when you consider that this weapon would in any case not be ready for another eight years. The weapons, especially the submarines, are so obviously offensive weapons against the PRC that even the German government, a U.S. ally, said it would refuse to build the diesel submarines in the order, for fear of increasing tensions. The Pentagon then announced it was ready to shop around in other European countries for the diesels. The new weapons are destabilizing because they allow the Taiwan capitalist government the option of declaring "independence" from China, something that had never been recognized in the past. Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing's response to the arms threat was rightly indignant. The U.S. should "immediately withdraw this mistaken decision and stop selling arms to Taiwan to avoid new grave damage to China- U.S. relations," he told U.S. Ambassador to China James Prueher. "China reserves the right to make a further reaction." Li noted the eight diesel submarines were "purely offensive weapons" and said, "The Chinese people must ask: what is the U.S. intention in selling arms to Taiwan? Where does the U.S. want to take China-U.S. relations?" Each day makes it clearer that the Bush admin istration, composed of the same team that carried out what they called a "full-court press" of arms race and military threat against the Soviet Union in the 1980s, is planning the same strategy against the People's Republic. They are not satisfied with their current ability to trade with and invest in Chinese industry. They want to smash the Chinese state, which is still based on the Chinese Communist Party and on the protection of the nationalized economy. They want to globalize China, that is, make all 1.3 billion people subject to open and unprotected exploitation by the multinational corporations, especially those based in the U.S. They aim to provoke an arms race with the goal of bankrupting China. They are ready to risk a devastating war in the process, even if this means killing millions of Chinese and other Asian people and hundreds of thousands of U.S. youths. Bush and Company must be stopped, along with the arms deal with Taiwan. - END - (Copyright Workers World Service: Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but changing it is not allowed. For more information contact Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For subscription info send message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web: http://www.workers.org) ------------------ This message is sent to you by Workers World News Service. To subscribe, E-mail to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, E-mail to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To switch to the DIGEST mode, E-mail to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Send administrative queries to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
