Taiwan preparing a mass rally against China's anti-secession law

[xpanda]

Taiwan's Chen Calls for Mass Rally Against China Law
Sat Mar 12, 7:10 AM ET
World - Reuters

By Baker Li

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian on Saturday called for a million people to take to the streets of Taipei on March 26 to protest against China's anti-secession bill, which allows for the use of force against the island.

Chen, in his first public comments on the proposed Chinese legislation since Beijing unveiled its details on March 8, called China "a major threat to regional stability" and said the legislation would increase tension in the Taiwan Strait.

"The anti-secession law will allow China to completely ignore the freedom and right of choice of Taiwan people, and seek to unilaterally determine Taiwan's future," Chen told a meeting of his pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

"All people, all families should mobilize and take part in the rally for democracy, peace and the protection of Taiwan," he said, calling for 1 million people to join the march.

China's parliament is expected to pass the anti-secession bill on Monday, which would allow the 2.5-million-strong People's Liberation Army to thwart any independence bid by Taiwan.

The bill is viewed by analysts as Beijing's bid to deter Chen from pushing for a formal split from China before the end of his second, and final, term in 2008.

China views democratically ruled Taiwan as a breakaway province that must be brought back to the fold, by force if necessary. The two sides have been political and military rivals since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949.

Apparently seeking to soothe fears in Taiwan, the United States and Japan, the anti-secession bill said "non-peaceful" means were a last resort, leaving China options other than attack, such as economic sanctions or naval blockades.

Washington, which recognizes China but has treaty obligations to help Taiwan defend itself, has called the bill unhelpful and urged Beijing to reconsider the legislation.

"The so-called 'non-peaceful' measures violate a consensus by the international society that the conflict in the Taiwan Strait should be resolved through peaceful dialogue," Chen said.

He said China has pointed 706 missiles at Taiwan and is increasing its arsenal by 120 missiles a year. He called on the European Union (news- web sites) not to lift its ban on arms sales to China until the mainland improves its human rights record.

Chen said passage of the legislation would reverse improved sentiment between the arch-rivals since they exchanged their first non-stop charter flights during the Lunar New Year holiday in February.

"The anti-secession law will just cause the opposite effect and two sides of the Taiwan Strait will split further," the president said. "It will cause the peaceful temperature between the two sides to drop again to freezing point."

He said China's leaders should not misread the situation and ignore the rights of Taiwan's 23 million people, urging Beijing to make constructive contributions to cross-strait relations.

The DPP had planned to mobilize half a million people around the island to join the protest, but Chen called for 1 million.

He cited the 500,000-strong march in Hong Kong last July, which drew global attention to the former British colony's demands for more democracy from China.

_________________________

 

[eek.]

They are smart productive dudes in Taiwan.

They should get nukes, then get on with their lives.

 

[919]

March 12, 2005:
The concern here is the PRC. They have been annoyed with Bush for his clumsy and arrogant behavior towards not only them but just about everyone else. Bush is pig-headed and totally devoid of any diplomatic skills. Rice in narrow-minded and clever but inflexible. The problem is that the PRC has always believed that Taiwan was a part of China and must eventually be reunited. This does not sit well with the people of Taiwan and there has been ongoing tension. To show how clever he was, Bush sent US naval units to the area last year and in essence stuck his tongue out at the mainland Chinese. Now, Beijing has retaliated. They have warned Bush, through the DoS that they would no longer tolerate any interference by the Bush Administration in their problems with Taiwan and they went on to demand, not request, that Bush back off.



He was told, again, not asked, that if he did not make a public statement to the effect that the United States believed that the problems between the two entities could be solved between them and wished to remain strictly neutral, they would retaliate against the US. In other worse, if Beijing decided to invade Taiwan, which they are now seriously planning, Bush would have to butt out and stay out. Their threat? Clever. If he keeps up his current nose-thumbing at Beijing, they will repeg their currency and dump all of their US treasury holdings on the market and never again buy any US paper.



This would be a devastating blow to our economy and the Chinese, and the world banking systems know it. If China did this, all the other countries holding American notes would very quickly follow suit so as not to be caught with increasingly worthless paper. I understand from a friend at the DoS that the note was civil but devoid of any of the usual diplomatic bs. In essence, Bush was ordered to butt out and stay out or the Chinese would at once carry out their threats.



Those in the know are horrified but many wonder if Bush is even aware of this (he is told what his handlers want him to hear and nothing else...he never reads any newspapers or watches anything on TV but the sports programs...and no one at Foggy Bottom has any idea what to do.) It is well-known that the Chinese do what they say and if there is no Bush response very quickly, there will be hell to pay economically.

The standard threat from the Bush people is that we would cease doing business with them unless they followed our orders but now, the Chinese have been quickly opening up other markets to compensate for their anticipated loss of American trade and the DoS and CIA people feel that they have found more than enough support in Europe and elsewhere from countries that are outraged by the Bush drumfire of malicious threats. This man is going to destroy the United States economy all by his pin-headed self.!"

 

[919]

i do think we should support Tawain....Bush is right to do so...

 

[xpanda]

In Canada, we've been playing footsie with Quebec for years. What if they actually decided to separate? Would military action be acceptable? What if Texas or California decided to secede?

 

[919]

Taiwan is not part of China. From 1895 until 1945 it was a Japanese colony. After the WW2 Japan surrendered it. To whom is the interesting part...

 

[xpanda]

Taiwan is not part of China. From 1895 until 1945 it was a Japanese colony. After the WW2 Japan surrendered it. To whom is the interesting part...

True, Taiwan was never conquered by China (Mao, I believe.) But she never achieved independence, either. For all intents and purposes, China thinks she owns her.

I don't know that the US could risk its economic position by backing Taiwan militarily. Since I don't know, and you seem knowledgeable: what's the US's interest in Taiwan, other than it being a democracy?

 

[JinnRikki]

You don't suppose Bush, having run up debt with China like a 13 year old with a Mastercard, intends to default do you? What would Chinas recourse be if Bush says you invade Taiwan and you kiss our debt goodbye?
I mean outside of losing all those exports to China what is the downside?

 

[JinnRikki]

In Canada, we've been playing footsie with Quebec for years. What if they actually decided to separate? Would military action be acceptable? What if Texas or California decided to secede?

I'll help Texas pack.

 

[xpanda]

You don't suppose Bush, having run up debt with China like a 13 year old with a Mastercard, intends to default do you? What would Chinas recourse be if Bush says you invade Taiwan and you kiss our debt goodbye?
I mean outside of losing all those exports to China what is the downside?

Hmm .. I think it's the other way around. The US imports from China en masse. Cheap WalMart trinkets and such. China holds alot of your debt, and won't raise the value of the Yuan because they don't want to hurt their exports. I read somewhere that China was almost single-handedly keeping the US dollar artificially puffed up. I'm not really sure who has who by the balls here, economically speaking.

 

[JinnRikki]

I mean outside of losing all those exports to China what is the downside?

Tongue planted firmly in cheek there X. Have you been reading my lame attempts at humor as ignorance?
I'm all for losing those cheap imported trinkets from China, For the short term it would hurt. The future of our manufacturing base is bleak otherwise. I don't see how the U.S. remains a world power without technology and manufacturing.