Taiwan Today

Chinese Communist Party chief Hu Yao-pang, in magazine interviews published in June, grudgingly admitted that most of the people in the Republic of China on Taiwan do not care to be united with a Communist China. And he cheerily prophesied that, accordingly, a blockade or some other application of force would be actively "considered" in 8-10 years, economic conditions and Red Chinese attainments in military modernization permitting. He added, by way of qualification, that Peking would undertake such action "only when we are sure of complete victory. " Hu was not speaking out of line. Far from it. Peking's number-one Communist, diminutive Teng Hsiao-ping, mentioned such a blockade last October. And other Chinese Communist spokesmen frequently make the point that Peking has never repudiated the use of force in its strategy to put free China under a Communist flag. Why all this direct Communist talk? Won't it inhibit non-Communist countries in their technological and military trade and, perhaps, other relationships with mainland China? The Communist Party leaders are betting heavily that it won't. They put their chips not only on the free, entrepreneurial West's avidity for increased mainland trade...but on the widespread belief in the West that trade and other "routine" relationships will function as some sort of inoculation against the Communist attraction to violence (a belief without much historical precedent, we might add). Indeed, Peking has a priority (and insidious) purpose for all this talk: By manipulating Western leaders to engage in technological-military trade against this constant background of Communist saber rattling, they deliberately make the Western nations knowing accomplices in a premeditated assault upon this nation. All of these Communist Chinese voices are confirming (and rather bluntly) that the technology, the transport, and even weapons systems they are now acquiring from the West are for a specific buildup to facilitate a violent, "final" solution to the China problem. They confidently expect that Western public opinion, so psychologically compromised, will then guiltily shrink aside as the carefully pre-planned blood bath leaves the realm of diplomatic propaganda and becomes, some dark night, a sudden reality. They bank on the projection not only that they will be gradually armed to the teeth with the "best from the West," but that free China, in the interim, will languish helplessly as its major weapons systems pass into obsolescence. To exploit seeming opportunities for profit and influence in an "opening" Communist China, the ROC's international friends now toy with what amounts to direct military aid for Peking, while withholding from the Republic of China replacement of those weapons systems whose obsolescence most weakens our defenses. We do not believe this state of affairs could maintain its present, deadly momentum if free world leaders would stop now for a moment to consider how clearly and publicly they are forewarned—by the leading Chinese Communists themselves. Western leaders, in fact, are being gradually required by Peking to openly and knowingly assist in the planned violent destruction of a free and democratic country. And as this situation persists, they will surely go down in history for so doing. The Republic of China will remain vigilant, with no intention of standing forever silent along the sidelines to watch it happen.