Global Times: Taipei should be a target of revenge

Global Times: Taipei should be a target of revenge  叩頭不響賜酖酒

Chinese Global Times (Huanqui Times), a daily Chinese tabloid under the auspices of the official Chinese Communist Party newspaper, the People's Daily, warned Taiwan in its editorial “Countering the US arms sales: Taipei should be our target of revenge” on September 17, 2011.  It is unusual; however, it is a little bit early to tell whether it signifies a policy shift for Beijing toward Taiwan or just a trick to boost Ma Ying-jeon in the campaign?

The editorial indicated that the US arms sales could not be done without Taiwan’s request in the first place.  It remarked that Taiwan’s demand is one of the driving factors of the arms sales, and insisted that Taiwan should undertake the responsibility of the US arms sales.  Particularly, Ma Ying-jeou, who believes that kowtow[1] is a good idea in dealing with China, was named in the article.  It said that MYJ asked for the US advanced fighters F-16C/Ds for over 20 times.  Could it be possible that Beijing is becoming impatient with MYJ’s tempo on the policy known as “Kowtow for peace?”

The Global Times further presumed that it is not enough to sway Washington only.  Beijing should place Taipei as a target of revenges.  It believes that Beijing holds more resources to condition Taipei than Washington D.C.  More dangerously, Beijing supposes that the revenge relies on nothing else but their unilateral will.  The article even suggested that Beijing should not rule out options that are more coercive.  The editorial concluded that it is the political environment on Taiwan, not any specific person or political party, that goes wrong.  It does not believe in democracy at all.  “When there’s a will, there’s a way,” the piece of writing ended as such.

From the view of policy, Beijing leaders now seem determined to put away Deng Xia-ping’s “One Country Two Systems” policy in which Taiwan could preserve its own armed forces.  In addition to this, the author menaced the US, Japan and Korea, by saying that many West Pacific leaders are trying to strengthen the tie with the US.  An on-line poll indicates that over 90% of the readers agree with the opinion of taking revenge on Taiwan.  A covert fundamentalist nationalism seems emerging.  Moreover, Xi Jin-ping gave his speech in the Central Party School of the Communist Party of China on September 1, stressing that the modern history China was invaded by all the developed countries.  Does Mao’s atmosphere of “Chinese has stood up!” in 1949 come to revive in 2011?

Judging from the editorial, ever-growing Beijing will tear off the proposition of “One Country Two Systems,” not allowing Taipei to “define ROC separately” in the so-called “Consensus of 1992.”   Facing the trend, the US Department of State should be very careful about the fact that Beijing’s big heads are behaving more and more like Wilhelm II of German Empire.  Maybe it is the reason why Dr. Henry Kissinger, the old fellow of China for over 40 years, has turned pessimistic on China.    revised at 1640

[1]  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kowtow  accessed on 2011/09/20