Crucial Role if China Hits Taiwan (Australia/US neo-cons)--SMH

[Gloria]

From the new World Media Watch up now at http://www.zianet.com/insightanalytical
Tomorrow at Buzzflash.com


1//The Sydney Morning Herald, Australia April 1, 2005

http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/Crucial-role-if-China-hits-Taiwan/2005/03/31/1111862533579.html



CRUCIAL ROLE IF CHINA HITS TAIWAN

By Louise Williams

Australia's military alliance with the US would put Canberra in a difficult, but crucial, position if China moved on Taiwan, a former Bush intelligence adviser says.



International lawyer Rita Hauser said neo-conservatives in the Bush Administration and the US intelligence community saw China as a threat and could provoke Beijing by encouraging Taiwan to declare independence.

(snip)


Dr Hauser said she hoped Australia would not be forced to choose between the rising power in its region and its traditional American ally. Taipei had been armed and backed for decades by Washington and would expect the US military to come to its defence if China moved. Australia's military alliance with the US would put Canberra in a very difficult position if hostilities broke out.

(snip)


However, some members of the US Administration do not accept China's inevitable rise.

"It would be a grave danger if those who want to provoke an independent Taiwan get the upper hand ," Dr Hauser said.

MORE

[xray s]

1. The US will never go to war with China

They would kick our ass.

[bpilgrim]

2. PNAC

says otherwise and the past 4 year history of the neoCONs and recent RADICAL behavior + PEAK OIL gives me no reason to think that this certainly isn't within the realm of possibility as a matter of fact likely within the decade.

and didn't china just tell Australia to reexamine its U.S. security agreement?

maybe it won't be up to us to decide...

A historic shift in foreign policy
...

"History will have no bigger stadium this century than the Pacific rim," he said last night.

Australia, he suggested, would not be in the stands watching, but on the field competing. He acknowledged the potential rewards: "Asia is poised in coming decades to assume a weight in the world economy it last held more than five centuries ago." And the risks: "It is also home to eight of the world's 10 largest armies and, after the Middle East, the world's three most volatile flashpoints - the Taiwan Strait, the Korean Peninsula, and Kashmir."

more...
http://www.smh.com.au/news/Peter-Hartcher/A-historic-shift-in-foreign-policy/2005/03/31/1111862532761.html

http://images.globalfreepress.com

peace

[xray s]

3. I think it won't be up for us to decide

The US in the 21st century is the Britian of the 19th century.

An empire in decline. And the Chinese hold, what, trillions in US debt?

They own us already.

The only thing we have is a military strangle hold on oil. But people are getting tired of seeing their kids die for BushCo. Enlistment is down. They are starting to keep their kids home.

If China wants Taiwan, it's theirs.

Bush would mention it in passing at his next press conference, and then jump right into how terrible 911 was and how we gotta be on the lookout for terra'ists.

[Massacure]

4. Only $1.4 trillion of our debt is held by foreign governments.

Half of that is held by China and Japan.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

6. Excellent response. The NeoCons are playing with fire if they keep....

...messing with China.

All China has to do is nuke about ten of our biggest cities like NYC, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, San Antonio, Dallas, and Detroit. That would ensure that even if we won the war, we'd still lose.

I'm betting that China has more than ten nukes, and would be willing to use them all.

Meanwhile, China would be nuked way past the Stone Age with hundreds of nukes, perhaps thousands, and a nuclear winter would get the rest of us.

[VegasWolf]

5. Australia, ignore the US. Go where your dollar is strong. I'm keeping

my money in Austrailian dollars, it's a smart way to play the
emeging Chineese economy. It's too late to do anything for the US
but watch it self-destruct.

[lovuian]

7. Its kinda like What happened to Italy & Japan they pick

bad friends!!! Australia is in a uncomfortably close position!!!