The Inevitable Chinese Showdown

July 15, 2005

As news swirled around allegations against presidential aide Karl Rove a huge story went virtually unnoticed. This story has much broader ramifications than the latest game of Washington “gotcha.” It even trumps the most up-to-date speculation on the next terrorist target. It's the prospect of war, not with a disparate band of religious fanatics but with a country numbering 1.5 billion.

Yes, China.

It's the story of Gen. Zhu Chenghu, a senior Chinese military officer. Zhu conducted a briefing for international journalists in Hong Kong on the latest tension between China and Taiwan. As for American thoughts on stepping into the middle of any Chinese invasion plans, he offered up this dire warning: “If the Americans are determined to interfere ... we will be determined to respond.” Respond in what way? “ I think we will have to respond with nuclear weapons,” he answered, bluntly. Of the United States coming to Taiwan's defense, Zhu stated, “the Americans will have to be prepared that hundreds ... of cities will be destroyed by the Chinese.”

This is just the latest in a series of events pointing to the inevitable showdown between the U.S. and China over Taiwan. In March, China's parliament passed a resolution authorizing the use of “non-peaceful means” to force Taiwan to succumb to Chinese authority. Chinese discontent over Taiwan's very existence was exacerbated by free elections on the island in 1996. China abhors freedom. Taiwan now exemplifies it and, in doing so, holds China's face over the Taiwan Strait forcing her to gaze upon her hideous reflection; an ugly, outmoded, brutally sadistic society swimming against the global tide of democracy. What is she to do?

China is doing what communist countries do. Like the Soviet Union before her, she is seeking to expand. The reason is simple. Communism gobbles up natural and human resources. With no incentive to produce, save a gun, communist citizens simply run out of reasons to progress. A society that ceases to progress begins to die. The only way to keep the doomed society alive is the acquisition of new resources, both human and natural. Like Hong Kong before her, Taiwan sits in the sights of a desperate nation.

Is Taiwan worth triggering a nuclear war over? That's not the point. The point is, we vowed to protect Taiwan under the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979. But the bigger reason to go to bat for Taiwan is to draw a line in the sand regarding Communist Chinese expansion. Had we done the same to the Soviet Union after World War II we would've saved ourselves a lot of grief, not to mention untold billions of dollars.

The primary difference between the Soviet Union and China is we continually feed the Red Chinese beast with American capital. Our schizophrenic trade policy dictates that we do no business with Cuba because they're a communist nation yet we gladly trade with the most atrocious regime the world has ever known.

Imagine you're shopping at the mall. All of the stores seem quite typical with the exception of this one large store. It's selling its goods at a lower price than anyone in the mall. You wonder how they do it then you learn they chain little children to desks and force them to make their products. Anyone who dares object finds themselves jailed, tortured or before a firing squad. Would you continue to shop at that store? I've got news for you. We do it in this country every day. Are we going to stand idly by while they take by force the Mom & Pop store next door?