Published by: World Tibet Network News, Thursday, Mar 14, 1996

Source: `Sing Tao Jih Pao', Hong Kong, in Chinese 11 Mar 96 pA2

Text of report from Beijing by Hong Kong newspaper `Sing Tao Jih Pao' news team: "Beijing expert sends out a warning: 800,000 troops are on call at all times"

Political and international warfare

A Beijing expert in Taiwan affairs, who is close to Jiang Zemin, points out: The highest leadership stratum in Zhongnanhai regards the present cross-strait confrontation as political and international warfare, and a war against Taiwan independence and the Western bloc headed by the United States. The leadership stratum believes that the Western bloc is trying to ruin China by adopting the pattern of the disintegration of the Soviet Union.

Containing China through Taiwan and Tibet

This expert states: The main reason contributing to such a rapid collapse of Russia [as published] was that the Western bloc instigated the former federated republics of the Soviet Union to pursue splittism and ruin the economy. At present, the Western bloc is adopting the same means to support Taiwan and Tibet in pursuing their independence to attain the aim of containing China through Taiwan and Tibet.

The struggle concerns China's life or death

The expert says: The highest leadership stratum of the CCP, including the military authorities, understand this point. In addition, none of the present leaders is willing to be held responsible for splitting the nation. Therefore, they are determined to fight the war against the Western bloc headed by the United States. The highest leadership stratum believes that the success or failure of the struggle concerns the issue of the life or death of China.

US aircraft carrier enrages Li Peng

As well-informed sources disclosed, after the release of the news that the US aircraft carrier USS Nimitz was cruising the Taiwan Strait, Premier Li Peng, who had always been moderate in dealing with the Taiwan issue, was enraged. At a gathering on 30th January to mark the anniversary of the publication of "Jiang's Eight-Point Principle", Li Peng mentioned for the first time that no foreign forces are allowed to meddle in the Taiwan issue.

This expert quoted well-informed military sources as saying that after making its assessment, the highest leadership stratum in Zhongnanhai believes that now is an opportune time for resolving the Taiwan issue, because the environment surrounding China is comparatively stable, and countries like Russia, India and Vietnam, which were once at war with China, are now maintaining good or normal relations with the country. Troops can be transferred from the borders to the forefront of the war against Taiwan. He points out: It was reported abroad that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) is stationing 400,000 troops along the coast. Actually, 400,000 troops is nothing, because 800,000 troops are available, and can be dispatched at any time.

The mainland gives Li Teng-hui a good telling-off

The expert recalls that when Deng Xiaoping was visiting the United States in early 1979, he said that since the Vietnamese kids were not behaving themselves, they must be given a good telling-off. After Deng Xiaoping returned home, a war aimed at giving the Vietnamese a lesson suddenly broke out. The expert stresses that Li Teng-hui at present is like Vietnam in those days. He is constantly provoking the mainland, and pursuing split diplomacy and military confrontation. If the present military exercises cannot subdue him, mainland military authorities might possibly give Li Teng-hui a good telling-off, and a strait war may break out at any moment.

Vindictiveness of the high-ranking military officers

With regard to the meddling of the United States, this expert stresses: The Chinese people have been bullied by the West for more than half a century. High-ranking military officers have their vindictiveness. Furthermore, the PLA fought US troops twice, in North Korea and Vietnam. Despite the threat of Soviet nuclear weapons, the PLA fought Soviet troops on Zhenbao Island. Therefore, the meddling of the United States can only intensify the hawkish attitude of the military side.

Putting the 20 million compatriots at stake

The cross-strait situation is very delicate. The expert attributes this to Li Teng-hui. He points out: Li Teng-hui is an ambitious politician. For the sake of his political career, he does not hesitate to put the lives and property of the 20 million Taiwan people at stake. In the present situation, the middle class and big enterprises in Taiwan have suffered great losses. Once a war between the two sides of the strait breaks out, the consequences will be too ghastly to contemplate.

The popular will of 1.2 billion people is extremely terrible

The expert says: Li Teng-hui is now doing his utmost to block the passage of information for the Taiwan public to cover up the whole affair of the tense cross-strait situation. This is immoral conduct for a politician. He stresses: After vigorously heating up public opinion for a long time, at present the mainland has concentrated the popular will, and national sentiments are also brewing. Once it becomes necessary, the highest leadership stratum of the CCP will use this as another weapon to attack Taiwan. The popular will of 1.2 billion people is also extremely terrible.