France, don't mess up Asia: Japan

[dArKeR]

Japan, on the eve of a visit by French President Jacques Chirac, said yesterday that the lifting of the EU arms embargo on China being pushed by France would be a "big problem" for Asian stability.

"Considering stability in Asia, the United States and Japan share the awareness that resuming arms exports would be a big problem," Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda, the Japanese government spokesman, told reporters.

Hosoda said the issue of the arms embargo would likely be on the agenda when Chirac meets Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi tomorrow.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2005/03/26/2003247817

[dArKeR]

1. US praises Taiwan's response

The US informed Taiwanese officials in an official cable that the cooperative handling of Beijing's "Anti-Secession" Law was "working perfectly," an authoritative source revealed yesterday.

A debriefing of US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's recent visit to China, cabled to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US, affirmed Taiwan's response to Beijing's legislation, the source said.

Without quoting the specific wording of the statement, the official indicated that the telegraph conveyed that "Taiwan had won this round," referring to Taiwan's international image and responsible handling of its response to the law.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2005/03/26/2003247831

[teryang]

2. This is about market share not military strategy

It's the dollar euro thing again.

The Chinese armaments build up will continue with or without Europe. They are not dependent on outsiders. Will it be in dollars or Euros? The Europeans see their opportunity. The Chinese can still buy advanced aerospace technology from Russia with dollars. It is probably more cost effective to stick with Russia. US equipment is generally not geared toward European guidance systems due to the obsolescent NATO association, but the real fear is competition for aerospace market share.