Dr. Ching-chih Chen

Beijing upping the ante
Thursday May 12, by Dr. Ching-chih Chen

Letter to Taipei Times

Wednesday, Dec 22, 2004,Page 8

Beijing upping the ante

According to a Dec. 17 Xinhua News Agency report, China's parliament is ready to ratify an anti-secession law that will mandate military action against Taiwan if it declares formal independence.

This plan is a concrete step taken after Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (�ؼҌ�) made it known on May 9 that Beijing was seriously considering the enactment of a "unification law."

Whether it is an "anti-secession" or "unification" law, it is essentially an anti-Taiwan law to be employed by Beijing to justify its attempt to annex Taiwan. In July, Jiang Zemin (������), then chairman of China's Central Military Commission, called on the People's Liberation Army to develop the military capacity to take Taiwan by 2020. The fact is, China has been busy upgrading its military capabilities and enhancing its position against Taiwan.

In response to China's plan to enact an anti-secession law, Joseph Wu (�����), chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council, said that the Chinese are attempting to "unilaterally change the cross-strait status quo."

In addition to being a threat to Taiwan, Wu added, the anti-Taiwan law "is likely to become the biggest threat to regional peace and stability in Asia."

If and when the proposed law is adopted, Taiwan must counter with the enactment of an independence law mandating that the moment China attacks Taiwan, Taiwan will automatically declare formal independence.

Ching-chih Chen

San Marcos, California