China warns again on Taiwan

["ÁÎ×Ó¹â HenryC.K.Liu ¹ù¤l¥ú" <hliu@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

China Urges World To Accept It Will Absorb Taiwan

             MUNICH, Feb 7, 2000 -- (Reuters) China
             urged the world on Sunday to accept its goal
             of absorbing Taiwan along the lines of its
             unification with Hong Kong and Macau - or
             else risk consequences "you don't want to
             see."

             Speaking at a security conference in
             Munich, Germany, a senior Chinese official
             said it would be wrong for the United States
             to encourage recalcitrance among leaders in
             Taiwan by promising military support.

             "One China, two systems was a success story," Wang Guangya,
Beijing's Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, told an international
audience of defense ministers, top military brass and defense analysts.

             "Sending the wrong messages to the leaders in Taiwan might
             lead to a result you don't want to see," Wang added,
without
             elaborating.

             China has warned that the risk of war with Taiwan, which it

             regards as a renegade province, has risen after the U.S.
House of Representatives supported legislation to provide more military
training and support to Taipei.

             The White House has warned Congress against passing the
             legislation, saying it could increase tensions as Taiwan
prepares for presidential elections in March.

             U.S.-China tensions last peaked in 1996 when Washington
sent two aircraft carrier groups as China conducted missile tests off
the island during Taiwan's last presidential vote.

             Wang also expressed "deep apprehension" over plans by the
             United States to develop an anti-missile defense system
designed to defend against attacks launched by hostile states.

             "This move will undoubtedly inflict severe damage on global

             strategic balance and stability, undermine the
international
             security environment, make it difficult to carry on the
             international non-proliferation regime and may even trigger
a
             new round of the arms race," Wang warned.

             Asian security risks highlighted

             Wang's comments highlighted the risks to international
stability which have grown in Asia while NATO has focused on learning
the lessons of last year's Kosovo conflict and cementing stability in
Europe.

             Relations between India and Pakistan, both now nuclear
powers, remain tense after recent fighting in the disputed territory of
Kashmir.

             Indonesia, the world's fourth most populous country, has
             become a powder keg after the toppling of President Suharto
led to the "ethnic cleansing" of East Timor by pro-government forces.

             Isolated countries like North Korea are also seen by the
United States as posing a potential threat of nuclear blackmail as they
seek to develop ballistic missile systems.

             "For America and Europe, the threat of missiles from rogue
             nations is substantial and growing," U.S. Defense Secretary

             William Cohen told the conference on Saturday.

             "We never want to be in the position of being blackmailed
by anyone posing a threat to our national security interests," Cohen
added, defending U.S. plans to move ahead with its Star Wars-style
missile defense program.

             President Bill Clinton is expected to decide in July
whether to begin deploying a $12 billion system of interceptor missiles
based in Alaska or await further development work following the failure
of a test launch last month.

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