Letters to the Editor
Published Letters: 78 Editor's Choice: 28
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another response
[Read the article: Nancy Pelosi and "the butchers of Beijing"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]the ability to speak Chinese certainly gives you an edge in speaking with and understanding the average chinese man...
Actually, it’s the fact that I speak Chinese and have lived in Beijing in 1991 – a time when the secret police were not secret and the Commies were really communist – and that I have lived in the Shanghai-area for the last 4 years…and made numerous trips in between, that has helped me understand this. I currently live in a city near Shanghai (called Suzhou) and sell managment consulting services to foreign companies.
…But I am not so confident that these things are proof that an invasion shall not happen. First, you are assuming that these negative consequences will actually be incurred.…
The only way that they avoid the consequences of war…or should we say…they only way they can go to war and think that they can avoid those consequences, is if the West does not impose sanctions, pull investment, block markets, etc. But I don't think they assume that. They can’t. From the Chinese perspective, the USA is closer to Japan than China. And Japan would be greatly threatened by war. Also, US, Europe, and Japan all have great amounts of money and trade with Taiwan.
China knows that the West is dependent on it. But China very much knows that it is dependant on the West. In fact, China is far more dependant on the West than the West is dependant on China. After all, if there is no China, there is still Africa and Malaysia, and Indonesia, and Vietnam, and India etc. China has the advantage over these nations BECAUSE OF THE INVESTMENT FROM TAIWAN AND HONG KONG.
That is why we can exert no effective pressure on China over Darfur.
I think we can exert moral pressure on China...just not the type of pressue that produces immidiate results. But, again, we have to show that we are better first. And while we are in Iraq, we cannot do that. While we get our oil from Saudi Arabia, we cannot do that. But any economic pressure we apply will hurt us too. It will hurt China more though. Basically, we cannot hurt China without hurting ourselves, and vice versa.
Second, you are assuming that the Chinese government is both fully aware of those potential consequences and is unwilling to endure them.
They are unwilling to endure them because it means the end of the current leadership. If everything falls apart and goes to hell, it will not be today’s leadership that remain in power…it will be the hardliners and the military that take control. And BTW, no one said we should be silent about Taiwan. But we should not do things that promote Taiwanese independence either.
I have to say that I am mystified at your analysis of the Taiwanese situation in regards to China's national credibility. In one paragraph, you argue that the costs of invasion are so severe that it will not happen. In another paragraph you say that the mere declaration of an independence which already exists will be sufficient to cause that very invasion which you say that China really does not want. And then, at the very end you conclude by saying that a china that has grown even more powerful than it is now will inevitably drop all claim to an island…
You got it.
This does not make any sense to me at all.
Although the costs are incredibly high, they perceive the cost of Taiwanese independence as higher. So to avoid that, they threaten. And if they threaten invasion, they have to be prepared to make good on that threat. Its sort of like MAD – Mutually Assured Destruction. And by more powerful, what I actually mean is that they become more secure. They build their social security system. They equalize the coast and inland areas. They promote sustainable consumption. They stop worrying about the Japanese coming back to rape Nanjing again. They feel proud not just of their 5000 years of history, but also proud of what they have become today.
PS- In defense of the United States, I would point out that George Bush has already suffered political damage for the crimes he has committed, and (I hope!) may yet suffer prosecution for it- however unlikely that may seem. I cannot see any such danger for the people responsible for Tianamen Square.
The two main people who are responsible for 6/4 were Deng Xiaoping – then Prime Minister (among other titles), and Li Peng. I don’t remember Li Peng’s title. Li Peng was a bastard. He is mostly retired now. Chinese people generally curse him…though more because the Three Gorges Dam project – which has caused the relocation of over 1 million people and also goes against everything Chinese people think of as harmonious and good. Deng dies over 10 years ago. Yes. They didn’t get judged in their time. But I believe that future generations of Chinese - and not that long from now- will have the freedom to openly pass judgment.
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Bring it back in the fold
[Read the article: The Carlyle Group goes shopping in Taiwan]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]How would the Carlyle group bring the technology back to the US? I mean... assuming that the company is acting on behalf of the US and not just on behalf of the profit motive. Then they would need to bring the whole manufacturing operations back to the US. Which really goes against the profit motive big-time. And it would be easier for them to build a company from scratch probably than move it from Taiwan...where the supply chain is...to the US. Just guessing about that point though. Unless this semiconductor company had a particular technology that they wanted to keep out of China's hands...but I doubt that. Its a testing and packaging company.