reza (08/18/82)
There is a point that you have to remember when considering the relationship between the US, the Republic Of China (Taiwan or ROC), and the Peoples Republic of China (red China or mainland China). As far as I know this is the way it happened. During the 1949 revolution the (right wing) ruling government's army was getting beat all over the place. At the end of the revolution, what was left of the army and "corrupted" ruling class was led to the island of Taiwan (Formosa) by president Chiankichek (I am almost sure that I have spelled his name wrong, so I will call him president C. from now). At the time, the communist militia had more than enough power to capture the island and finish the job. But that was when the US stepped in. The US did not want this last piece of "free" land in China be taken over by the communists. So it let the red China know that invading Formosa would make them face the US army (as did their invasion of South Korea a few years later). So it was not the fear of a few airplanes that kept red China from invading Taiwan. It was the fear of the United States army. In other words, selling arms to Taiwan has been just a gesture to Peking that the US still supports president C. I might be wrong, but I remember that red China has been shelling "uninhibited" parts of Taiwan since 1949 almost everyday. If the the arms that the US sold Taiwan was anything but a gesture, they would have been used to shell mainland China back. Now that the relationship between communist China and the US is becoming friendly, there is no need to sell arms to Taiwan. The Peking regime will not be crazy enough to risk the friendship of the US by invading Taiwan. As far as the political system in Taiwan is concerned, I only have one thing to say. After president C. died a few years ago, HIS SON was "elected !!" president after him. You guess the rest of it. ihuxq!reza
lcs@sri-unix (09/01/82)
This is a reply to both Reza and one of the ucbcad!UNKNOWNs. I shall dispute
their viewpoints with some historical background on the subject which I think
both of them are ignorant of.
(1) "Red China has been continuously shelling the uninhabited part of Taiwan
since 1949" (by Reza)
You have yet to develop a 100-mile range artillery for them to use. Do
not forget the existence of the Taiwan Channel which also makes the
"take-over" job not as easy as you may think it might be.
(2) US involvements in the Chinese civil war.
The US involvements in the war started long before a lot of American
think it did.
The Yalta agreement actually led the way for communist into the full
grown civil war. Followed by the Marshall's "peace negotiation" effort
(similar to Kissinger's one in Vietnam) and later the president Truman's
White Cover report. This painful historical lesson yields the
uncompromised position held by the Rep. of China regarding the "unification
negotiation" overture initiated by the red China and somewhat endorsed by
the US (especially the Haig who has Russia phobia).
(3) USSR's involvement in the civil war
Because of the Yalta agreement, USSR moved into Manchuria after the WWII,
and subsequently transfered and equiped the communist militia with the
advanced munitions left the Japanese best troop. Since then the USSR
had been the red China's "Big Brother" until the end of the Korean War
where US suffered heavy casualties because of the red China's "man-sea"
tactic.
(4) The Identification problem on the so-called Taiwanese
The real Taiwanese are not those Taiwanese lots of American think
they are.
Those 13 million Taiwanese are Chinese immigrants moved to the island
at most 100 years earlier than those "mainlanders" moved in around 1949.
Above all, only fraction of those so-called "Taiwanese" do not recognize
their Chinese heritage and have hatred toward their countrymen. But lots
of US journalists do not recognize that facts and thus far create a lot
of misleading reports in this society.
Anyway this is not a pleasant topic to discussed especially in the net.news.
I sincerely recommend those who wants to comment further on this subject
go read some unbiasd history book not those news magazines published by
news-creating or liberal-minded bunch.
lcs