The Washington Post

Thursday, February 3, 2000

China Assails Bill on Taiwan

By John Pomfret

BEIJING, Feb. 2 -- China called in the new U.S. ambassador today and assailed the House of Representatives' passage of legislation that would bolster Washington's military ties to Taiwan.

In a tersely worded statement, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said Deputy Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi warned Ambassador Joseph Prueher that U.S.-China ties would be "seriously damaged" if the bill becomes law.

Yang called the measure a "serious encroachment on China's sovereignty [and] a gross interference in China's internal affairs. . . . China's government and people seriously express their strongest indignation about this bill."

Beijing usually does not comment extensively on pending congressional legislation. In addition, the Clinton administration has said it will veto the bill, the Taiwan Security Enhancement Act, which would establish direct military communications between Washington and Taipei, expand U.S. training of Taiwanese officers and force the administration to make public Taiwan's request for weapons systems.

China views the legislation as incendiary. Beijing is relying on its slow-but-steady military modernization as a main plank in its strategy to force Taiwan, which it views as a renegade province, to accept reunification. It already opposes any American arms sales to Taiwan. A closer relationship between the Pentagon and Taiwan's Defense Ministry could set back China's plans to achieve military dominance in the Taiwan Strait by 2015.

The Republican-led House, which includes many supporters of Taiwan and foes of China, approved the bill in a bipartisan vote of 341-70 on Tuesday. To become law, it would have to be reconciled with a similar measure in the Senate, and could then face a presidential veto.

The House's vote came as China has significantly modified its anti-Taiwanese rhetoric in advance of Taiwan's presidential election next month. In the past two weeks, Beijing has issued a series of calls to Taiwan's leaders and its presidential candidates, announcing its willingness to resume talks that were aborted last year when China canceled a scheduled trip to Taiwan by Wang Daohan, its top negotiator on the Taiwan issue.

Beijing canceled Wang's trip after Taiwan's president, Lee Teng-hui, announced he wanted to establish "special state-to-state" relations with China, endangering the "one-China" policy that has been the bedrock of Taipei-Beijing relations since tensions eased in the Taiwan Strait in the 1980s.

China's policy appears to be a reaction to events in Taiwan, where the three main candidates for president have endorsed improved ties with Beijing.

At one point, Beijing demanded that Taiwan's next president publicly repudiate the "special state-to-state" policy as a condition of resuming talks. But that demand appears to have been dropped. And China also appears to have acceded to Lee's basic position that Taiwan be treated as an equal in any upcoming negotiations, a senior Western diplomat said.

"We all know it is good for brothers to come to the negotiating table and talk with each other," said a senior Chinese scholar and adviser to the government at a briefing organized for foreign correspondents.

"We're not going to set a deadline, 'You talk to us or else,' " the scholar said.

Deputy Prime Minister Qian Qichen, in a speech on Jan. 8, seemed to modify another Chinese demand--that any upcoming negotiations must touch on the question of political reunification. Qian proposed five points that the two sides could discuss, such as a formal conclusion of the civil war that ended in 1949 with the Communist victory and questions related to the World Trade Organization, which will probably accept both China and Taiwan as members. The scholar pointed out that Qian's points did not concern reunification.

"This is the first time that mainland China has clearly stated its policy," he said. "The mainland side has shown its sincerity to the Taiwan side. We hope for a positive response."

The senior Western diplomat said his country also has noticed a distinct mellowing in Beijing's stance on Taiwan.