China warns U.S. presidential rivals on Taiwan arms

[Nambe]

Source: Beijing (Reuters)

China said on Thursday that the next U.S. president should not allow a repeat of a recent arms sale to Taiwan which it said had damaged ties between Beijing and Washington.

The U.S. government announced plans last week to sell a $6.5 billion package of arms to Taiwan, the self-governed island that Beijing says is a part of its sovereign territory. The package includes 30 Apache attack helicopters and 330 Patriot missiles.

Beijing said the deal threatened years of building military trust with Washington, and postponed military exchanges between the two countries.

Now it has warned John McCain and Barack Obama, the two men competing to succeed U.S. President George W. Bush, that it does not want a repeat of the sale.

McCain and Obama have said they support the sale. ..

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE4982RD20081009?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&rpc=22&sp=true

[Gillian]

1. The tables have turned at the moment. China has the bully ball.

¨Amid turmoil in the world financial sector, the International Monetary Fund predicted Wednesday that China's economy would grow at more than 9.0 percent next year while much of the West faces recession.¨

This arms sale is a stupid money grab for the bushistas. Does anyone think Taiwan could defend itself from China if China were to invade. Ask the Iraqi¨s.


http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/imagedata/0,,6290206,00.jpg

[tburnsten]

4. China couldn't defend itself from Japan earlier in the twentieth century

Combat is a very dynamic thing, and I think you would be surprised at how successful a smaller nation can be at keeping invaders out. But I agree that China would certainly crush Taiwan.

[L0oniX]

2. Why not sell a few nukes to Taiwan and be done with it.

[Mudoria]

6. Not a bad idea

[NM Independent]

3. China can f@$k right off and not tell our politicians jack s*%t

[Doctor Cynic]

5. Until they get testy about all their piles of green paper, that is.

[Anarcho-Socialist]

8. Yes, China has leverage and can cause a run on the Dollar if they wanted to n/t

[David__77]

7. US should adhere to the agreements with China it has made.

The US clearly has a one-China policy. It has no business trafficking in arms to the Taiwan authorities when they're not even recognized by anyone as a sovereign nation. Except for Micronesia and a couple others bought off by Taipei.