← Autodidact Archive · Original Dissent · Gabrielle
Thread ID: 16916 | Posts: 4 | Started: 2005-02-23
2005-02-23 15:18 | User Profile
President Bush (news - web sites), meeting with European leaders, warned Tuesday that a plan by the European Union (news - web sites) to end its embargo on arms sales to China could "change the balance of relations between China and Taiwan, and that's of concern."
The EU imposed the embargo after the 1989 massacre of pro-democracy demonstrators in Tiananmen Square in Beijing but wants to lift the ban this year to open a lucrative market.
The Bush administration and Congress say doing so could alter the balance of power between China and Taiwan. The U.S. House recently voted 411-13 on a resolution that revoking the ban would endanger Taiwan and harm U.S. relations with Europe. CIA (news - web sites) Director Porter Goss told the Senate this month that "improved Chinese capabilities" threaten U.S. forces in Asia.
"They know the Congress is concerned," Bush said. "And so they'll try to develop a plan that will ease concerns. Now, whether they can or not, we'll see."
China regards Taiwan as a renegade province and has threatened to invade. The United States recognizes the claim that Taiwan is part of China but has said it would defend Taiwan from forced reunification.
Sen. Richard Lugar (news, bio, voting record), R-Ind., chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, has warned that the United States could limit sales of high-tech military equipment to EU members if the embargo is lifted.
Bush said at a news conference that French President Jacques Chirac and British Prime Minister Tony Blair (news - web sites) told him "they will try to develop a plan that will ease concerns. Now, whether they can or not, we'll see."
[url]http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=676&ncid=716&e=21&u=/usatoday/20050223/ts_usatoday/bushdontliftbanonarmssalestochina[/url]
2005-02-23 16:25 | User Profile
This might be credible if Bush werer to get on "our friends, the Israelis," for all the American military technology they sold to Red China.
2005-02-23 17:47 | User Profile
This is pretty hypocritical considering Bush's favorite ally, Isreal, sells everything America developes to China.
2005-02-23 22:35 | User Profile
Bloody hell, the guy does something good, and you still complain.