Hog,
I'm sorry, but I have to disagree with your statement about China and Taiwan. You cannot compare them to Iraq and Kuwait. That is nonsense.
China owns Taiwan, and up until 50 years ago, Taiwan (Formosa) was part of mainland China. HK and China successfully transitioned back together and so will Taiwan and China. It is not our business. Why are we involved? Well, let me explain:
Our reasoning to keep China and Taiwan is very new. It is not that we are trying to respect and defend the status of this state (yes, state) for their benefit, but rather for our own. The only reason our administration is attempting to block the PRC from gaining Taiwan back is to protect OUR interests in the region. It is purely self serving (as usual) and just about every country in Asia disagrees with us for it.
Please realize that up until just 5 years ago, we actually PUSHED Taiwan to re-join China. Yes, that's correct, we negotiated in favor of China. Why? We wanted trade with them. Now why are we flipping our stance........? Well, as I've said before, China is now a member of the WTO.
For the most part, the current problems faced by Taiwan and China began in 1972. During the first phase of relations between the United States and the Mainland, the U.S. talked out of both sides of its mouth. It acknowledged the PRC position -- that there is but one China and Taiwan was part of China. Then when the United States established diplomatic relations with China in 1979, the U.S. recognized that the "PRC was the sole government of China." However, at that time, the U.S. also agreed that Taiwan was not part of mainland China, merely that the PRC was the legitimate government of China. The U.S. was having it both ways, saving mainland Chinese face, yet not giving the PRC the upper hand and with it permission to invade Taiwan. Although Taiwan existed and had territorial integrity its government was not really recognized by the world -- nudge, nudge, wink, wink.
But under Clinton, all that changed and the mainland Chinese definition of "one China," became the U.S. interpretation. In 1994, the Clinton Administration sought to exclude Taiwan from international organizations and blocked Taiwanese leaders from entering the U.S. The attitude was rather like having a brother you are ashamed of, but support in one way or another -- while not letting him into your house or admitting him into your circle of friends. In 1998, President Clinton chose to declare that "China's policy towards Taiwan was now the policy of the United States." Analysts call it Clinton' three no's:
no independence, no two Chinas, no membership in state-based international organizations. Please read those three No's again....they're important. That was the USA's stance just 7 years ago.
Independent minded Taiwan had been heartened by the largely successful and peaceful transition of Hong Kong over to the PRC in 1997. Taiwanese businessmen have huge investments in Hong Kong and count on a viable and free economy in the former Crown Colony. However, in recent months, and in its ham-handed way, Beijing decided to stir the pot and interfere with Hong Kong's independent judiciary. At that point Taiwan felt threatened and vulnerable; pointing out to the world that there were two Chinas. President Lee used the timing of the problematic relations between the U.S. and Beijing as the appropriate geopolitical moment to state what all Taiwanese have believed for years - Taiwan is a separate state.
After Lee made his "state to state" reference in the press interview, the President of China, Jiang Zemin appealed to Clinton to rein in the Taiwanese. Ever willing to comply with PRC requests, Clinton's National Security Adviser Sandy Berger, canceled a planned trip by mid-level defense officials to Taiwan.
Some in the Clinton camp wanted to cancel all visits by U.S. officials to Taiwan, as well as shipments of spare military parts. However, due to the Clinton Administration's scandals regarding questionable Chinese campaign contributions, and its malfeasance in regard to the theft or sale of strategic technological secrets to the Chinese, they were forced to walk a tightrope vis a vis China and Taiwan. The administration can't afford to appear too close to the PRC lest Congress start issuing subpoenas and actually take the Clinton Justice Department to court over Chinagate
Now we are nervous about what "one China" will do to us. The Bush administration is up to the USA's usual tactics and is attempting to sanction China and sales of US goods to China. This is really p*ssing a lot of folks off. There are MAJOR US companies that are operating in China now (the Great Wal-Mart for one) that are being adversly affected by this. They are currently importing their goods through other nations, but the US DOD and State Dept is considering actions against Wal-Mart and any company that sells to China.
We are not making friends this way. We pump money into a country to suit our needs, then backpeddle and flip the stance a day later to suit our needs again.
Taiwan is a state, not a country. It is a part of China, it always has been and will once again be a part of China. Unfortunately the Nuclear weapons and high-tech fighters/equipment that we sold to Taiwan in the past decade will also become China's.
One day we will learn to quit meddling in other's affairs. Our policies of sanctions and embargos are making the world angry (now that the world is flat instead of round, and they can SEE it), and we will soon be the outcasts.
