Beijing sends a warning to
Taiwan By Antoaneta Bezlova
BEIJING - China used the celebrations for
the 80th anniversary of the People's Liberation
Army (PLA) last Wednesday to send a belligerent
message to the pro-independent government of
Taiwan that Beijing will not tolerate the island's
increasingly bold steps to gain formal
independence.
Showcasing China's growing
confidence as a military power, nationwide
celebrations last week brought a stark reminder
that preventing a decisive move by Taiwan toward independence
remains the PLA's priority.
China's PLA has "the determination and the
ability" and is prepared "to stop Taiwan
independence and serious incidents which Taiwan
independence may bring", Defense Minister Cao
Gangchuan was quoted as saying by the state media
on the eve of the PLA's anniversary.
Bolstering Cao's pledges, President Hu
Jintao promised more money for military
modernization, to include greater use of
technology and the upgrading of defense-related
science and weaponry.
"We will gradually
increase input in national defense as the economy
grows and continue to modernize national defense
... in a way that serves the interests of our
national security and development," Hu told a
grand rally at the Great Hall of the People. As
chairman of the Central Military Commission, he is
China's top military commander.
China's
demonstration of military strength comes as
Taiwan's ruling pro-independence Democratic
Progressive Party is intensifying its campaign to
consolidate the island's self-identity and
sovereignty.
President Chen Shui-bian has
vowed to press ahead with a controversial
referendum on whether the self-ruled island should
apply for United Nations membership under the name
Taiwan, despite repeated snubs from the UN and
objections from the United States.
The
regime has been called the Republic of China since
Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist forces fled there
after being defeated by the communist guerrilla
armies of Mao Zedong in 1949. Beijing claims
sovereignty over Taiwan despite nearly six decades
of separate rule and has vowed to use force if
necessary to prevent the island from formally
splitting away.
Recent months have seen
strident calls for independence by Chen, who is
nearing the end of his second four-year term and
who regards the buttressing of Taiwanese national
identity as his political legacy. Polls in Taiwan
show that when Chen took office in 2000, 36% of
the population said they felt they were of
Taiwanese national identity. In polls taken early
this year, this number rose to 68%.
Under
Chen's rule, new versions of history textbooks
used in high schools that emphasize Taiwan's
separate identity were approved and major
state-owned enterprises were renamed to substitute
the word "Taiwan" for "China".
Taiwan was
expelled from the UN in 1971 when its seat - which
it held under the name Republic of China - was
given to the Beijing-based government of the
People's Republic of China.
Since then
Taiwan has fought fierce competition with mainland
China for international recognition. Over the
years, the number of countries recognizing
mainland China has risen to 169 while Taiwan's
score has declined to 24. For the past 14 years,
Taiwan has also sought to rejoin the UN using its
official title, but failed at each attempt. Last
month, the island made another application using
the title "Taiwan" for the first time.
But
the new bid suffered a defeat too. The UN rejected
the application, citing a 1971 resolution that the
United Nations adheres to the "one China" policy
and recognizes only the government in Beijing.
Chen's two letters were returned. Despite this
failure, Chen's ongoing bid for UN membership has
infuriated Beijing, which sees the referendum on
the application as a prelude to holding an even
more sensitive vote on Taiwanese independence.
The holding of a referendum as advocated
by Chen might lead to the mainland invoking a 2005
Anti-Secession Law, which codifies Beijing's
threat to use military force to stop the island
from making any serious moves to declare
independence.
A US Defense Department
report in May said mainland China was rapidly
modernizing its military in view of future
conflict across the Taiwan Strait. In March, China
said it would boost defense spending by 18% to
about US45 billion this year, but the US report
said Beijing's total military-related spending
could be more than double that.
The
Pentagon pointed out that the number of
short-range missiles aimed at Taiwan had increased
at a rate of more than 100 a year to reach more
than 900 this year. The buildup of other forces,
such as air force and navy, has also seen marked
acceleration. "China is prioritizing measures to
deter or counter third-party intervention," the
report said.
Under the Taiwan Relations
Act of 1979, the United States is bound to help
defend Taiwan against any attack by mainland
China. But Washington has been unhappy about
Chen's plans to hold a referendum because it fears
it will intensify the tensions across the Taiwan
Strait.
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