Commenting on the partial lifting of the U.S. trade embargo against the Chinese Communists, the Chung Hua Jih Pao (China Daily News) said December 23 that President Nixon is weakening the free world's anti-Communist defenses.
The paper said: "The House of Representatives voted 238 to 157 against lifting restrictions on trade with the Chinese Communists only last December 10. Washington's announcement has nullified this decision.
"Peiping regards the United States as its arch enemy. Relaxed trade relations with Peiping will only jeopardize U.S. talks with the Soviets and open the way for Chinese Communist infiltration."
The Lien Ho Pao (United Daily News) said December 21 that the relaxation will jeopardize Nixon's new Asian policy and undermine Asian anti-Communist defenses.
The paper said: "Peiping may flood the American market with Chinese Communist goods as a means of increasing infiltration and 'carrying out anti-U.S. propaganda. Peiping will steal U.S. patents and technology to increase its military potential. Nixon has relaxed trade relations with Peiping twice within five months. He has betrayed his position as leader of the free world and has acted contrary to American public opinion as shown in the U.S. House vote of December 10.
"Washington may want to renew talks with Peiping at the ambassadorial level hut these have been fruitless over a period of 13 years.
"Japan is showing interest in Peiping talks at the ambassadorial level in contravention of its long-standing policy of separating politics from economics.
"The U.S. relaxation will weaken its new Asian policy and its anti-Communist leadership in Asia."
The Shin Sheng Pao (New Life Daily) said December 21: "Massive Russian and Communist Chinese support has enabled Hanoi to prolong the Vietnam war. Trade between Washington and Peiping will under mine American efforts to end the war.
"Chinese Communist foreign policy depends on anti-Americanism. Peiping will use U.S. appeasement moves against the Americans. They have no reason to do otherwise."
The English-language China Post of December 23 expressed fear of American surrender in Asia.
The paper said: "The State Department announced that the United States is partially lifting a 19-year-old trade embargo against Communist China. The decision means that overseas subsidiaries of the American companies will be allowed to sell nonstrategic items ranging from razor blades to trucks to Peiping.
"This, coupled with the growing demand of Senator J. William Fulbright and his Congressional followers for repeal of the 1964 Gulf of Tonkin resolution, gives us a chilling impression that the United States is planning an unconditional surrender in Asia.
"Reports seeping from behind the Bamboo Curtain say that the Chinese Communists have not been very successful in trying to scrape together what little iron they have in order to feed their huge munitions industry. They are also suffering from shortages of many other items which are regarded as nonstrategic. Are trucks which can carry weapons of murder and even Chinese Communist troops to Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Burma not strategic items?
"The United States cannot hope to get even a fraction of one per cent of Communist China's trade pie, even if the trade embargo is removed completely. Peiping's trade with non-Communist nations has not been increasing significantly. Its trade with Japan has dwindled.
"The partial lifting of the trade embargo may have far-reaching repercussions throughout the world. Free nations that have been trading with Communist China will be encouraged to expand such trade. Those countries which have held the line under American pressure will start trading with Peiping. The partial relaxation may prove to be a shot in the arm for Peiping's sagging economy.
"The Washington decision will permit American citizens to buy unlimited quantities of Chinese Communist goods for their private use. This will open up a new propaganda war front for the Peiping regime. The Chinese Communists may send innocent American buyers literature in support of the cause of the Students for a Democratic Society or the Black Panthers. They will continue to step up their infiltration into American society to 'bury' their archenemy 'from within'.
"Equally heart-chilling is the demand for repeal of the Gulf of Tonkin resolution, which gave Prtsident Johnson the authority for bombing North Vietnam.
"The United States is pursuing its policy of disengagement from Vietnam. However, it has to strengthen its assistance to other free nations in the region if it wants to live up to its treaty obligations. The Gulf of Tonkin resolution gives the Nixon administration authority to cope with emergencies. If it should be repealed, the President would have to ask for Congressional consent, which might never come, before helping Laos, Thailand and Burma, all of which are now facing an increasingly serious Communist threat of subversion.
"All of this may mean an unconditional American surrender in Asia and a betrayal of America's free world allies."
Everybody's Daily—Nixon's risk for peace
Commenting on President Nixon's Vietnam policy, the Ta Chung Jih Pao (Everybody's Daily) said December 19 that President Nixon is taking a well calculated risks for peace in Vietnam.
The paper said: "Washington has finally realized that direct military confrontation with the Communists is not the best war strategy. Critics of the Vietnam war in the Republic of China have pointed this out since the beginning of the direct U.S. military involvement. Vietnamization of the war with full American logistical support is a more effective way to combat Communist aggression.
"Vietnamization is not mere withdrawal of U.S. troops but a replacement of the troops by Vietnamese with full American support."
Commenting on the same subject, the English-language China News of December 17 said any chance of peace will depend on North Vietnamese assessment of the American mood.
The paper said: "President Nixon has said that the United States must take risks for peace.
"Another 50,000 Americans thus will be withdrawn from Vietnam by April, raising the total to more than 100,000.
"Considering that more than 400,000 U.S. troops will remain in South Vietnam, the risk does not seem very great.
"But what President Nixon and the American military have every reason to fear is the rising level of North Vietnamese infiltration.
"When the U.S. withdrawals began, the North Vietnamese also deescalated. Hanoi hoped to encourage the Americans to pull out faster.
"Hanoi at first was contemptuous of South Vietnamese ability to take over its own defense. Not a few Americans were dubious, too.
"As President Nixon and Defense Secretary Laird have testified, Vietnamization is well ahead of schedule in terms of training, equipment and assumption of defense responsibility. Saigon is now guarded entirely by South Vietnamese forces.
"The South Vietnam government has new confidence and prestige. People of the south know that the back of the Viet Cong is broken and that the only remaining danger is aggression from the north.
"Hanoi is now faced with the prospect of a South Vietnam that will be stronger than ever by the time all American combat troops have been withdrawn a year or two hence.
"This leaves the Communists with no choice except to give up the war or start building up their forces. They may hope to lie low until the American presence is minimal, or they may be thinking of an all-out offensive to bloody the Americans badly and compel acceleration of the withdrawal schedule.
"Much will depend on North Vietnamese assessment of the American mood. In the past the leaders of Hanoi have grossly exaggerated the anti-war sentiments of the United States. After the Johnson de-escalation, they concluded that Nixon eventually would have to desert his South Vietnamese allies.
"Recent events have proved that this calculation is in gross error. The U.S. war moratorium movement has been an abject failure. Amerkans have rallied behind President Nixon and are strongly opposed to any actions that would permit Communism to swallow up South Vietnam and Southeast Asia.
"President Nixon has repeatedly warned that the enemy will not be permitted to take advantage of the American quest for peace. He can only mean that if Hanoi does make the mistake of ordering an offensive, the bombings of the north will be resumed without the crippling limitation of targets that marked air attacks during the Johnson administration.
"Hanoi had thought that the Johnson retreat made Communist victory certain. The North Vietnamese frustration might lead to decisions that would give the United States and South Vietnam another opportunity for military victory rather than stalemate."
China Times—Comment on My Lai
Commenting on the My Lai incident, the Chung Kuo Shih Pao (China Times) said December 4 that massacre of civilians is a deliberate Communist tactios.
The paper said: "The government of the Republic of South Vietnam announced that the My Lai incident was the result of military action and not an international massacre of Vietnamese civilians by U.S. troops.
"Public opinion and editorial statements in most parts of the world have taken a rational view of the incident. However, the Nixon administration faces unexpected criticism from some Americans and U.S. morale is affected.
"Frank Froch, a retired U.S. intelligence officer, gave a clear picture of the village of My Lai. In his report on the My Lai massacre, Froch said that according to U.S. military investigation in 1968, My Lai was a village full of ditches and tunnels. After 25 years of Viet Cong rule, all underground routes were guarded by mines and booby traps. Actions had occurred at My Lai before March 16, 1968. In the autumn of 1967, while a Viet Cong political meeting was in progress, Korean troops fired some 200 155-mm shells at the village. This was considered a military attack.
"It is obvious that My Lai has not been a peaceful village. It has long been occupied by the Viet Cong and has been a target of bombing and shelling by the U.S. Navy, Army and Air Force. American troops attacked My Lai on March 16, 1968, as they have attacked other Vietnamese villages. Ground troops entered the village after heavy artillery attacks. Similar military actions have been going on throughout the Vietnam war.
"The U.S. Army announced it intention to court-martial Lt. William L. Calley Jr. on charges of the premeditated murder of 109 Vietnamese civilians. The charges are based on reports of unidentified informers. Published estimates of victims run as high as 500 to 700.
"The fact is that the Viet Cong massacre of civilians is a matter of routine. The My Lai incident occurred 21 months ago but only came to public attention after the reports by informers. It would seem that someone is trying to take advantage of the incident to stir UIP confusion that will aid and abet the Communists.
"Statements of the 'Provisional Revolutionary Government of South Vietnam' accused U.S. troops in Vietnam of bloody massacres and called for 'peace loving nations and peoples including the American public to put an immediate end to American aggression and compel the unconditional withdrawal of all American and Allied troops from Vietnam'. Such pronouncements have been echoed by Americans who oppose the war. The My Lai incident has been exaggerated and used by the Communists and their fellow travelers in efforts to force the Nixon administration to expedite U.S. troop withdrawals from Vietnam."
Commenting on the same subject, the English-language China News said December 2 that the My Lai case has led to a series of atrocity stories that are mostly false and some of which are the work of Communist propagandists.
The paper said: "How do you identify a Viet Cong? This is the problem behind the My Lai tragedy and similar incidents in South Vietnam.
"Communists will use anyone to accomplish their ends, and this includes women and children. They place only a propaganda value on human life.
"The My Lai case has led to a series of atrocity stories, most of them palpably false and some of them the work of Communist propagandists.
"Those who fight a 'people's war' deliberately mix up the rebels and the loyal population so the defenders of the country do not know where to look for the enemy. This is the tactic the Americans and their allies confront in South Vietnam.
"The decision of President Nguyen Van Thieu not to reopen investigation of My Lai is based on South Vietnamese conclusion that the incident involved action against the enemy. This is not exoneration of those who went too far at My Lai. Rather, the Saigon government is pointing an accusing finger at the Communists.
"Free China has had experience with this problem. The Communists carried out the same kind of warfare on the mainland for more than 20 years. Unwillingness of the National Government to move against the people had much to do with the events that led to the Communist usurpation of 1949.
"In their sorrow at My Lai, the American people ought to remember that while such incidents sometimes reflect the brutalization of war, they also involve endeavors to survive."
China Post—Okinawa loses value
Commenting on the Okinawa question, the English-language China Post said November 25 that an Okinawa under Japanese rule will not continue to serve as a free world military center to check Communist expansion.
The paper said: "President Nixon and Japanese Prime Minister Eisaku Sato have agreed on the reversion of the Ryukyus to Japanese rule in 1972.
"The Ryukyus was China's vassal state long before it was annexed by Japan by force in the late 19th century. The island group is so near Taiwan that any change in its status may affect the Republic of China's defense posture.
''The United States and Japan ignored the independence aspirations of the Okinawan people. A number of Ryukyuan leaders have visited Washington and urged the United States to hold a plebiscite but their appeals have been turned down. They have argued in vain that Japan is not their fatherland.
"Had the Cairo and Potsdam Declarations been respected, the two countries would have listened to the people of the islands. Both declarations guaranteed self-determination for former colonies of Japan.
"What action will the United States and Japan take if the Communists threaten the peace and security of Asia? An Okinawa under Japanese rule will not continue to serve as a free world military center to check Communist expansion.
"The United States' right to retain military facilities on Okinawa now comes under the U.S.-Japan security treaty, which requires Washington to consult with Tokyo before taking action against an aggressor. Such an arrangement cannot cope with emergencies. The time lost in consultations could mean Communist takeover of territory. We can only hope the Tokyo government will speedily give sympathetic consideration to any request of the United States to use the Okinawa bases against a Communist threat."
Central Daily News—Prejudiced reporting
The Chung Yang Jih Pao (Central Daily News) of December 10 criticized Washington Post articles about the Republic of China.
The paper said: "The Washington Post of November 27 and 28 carried its own correspondent's untrue reporting on the Republic of China. Such misrepresentation is detrimental to our country and will present an erroneous picture to the American community. This is contrary to press ethics and we must raise our voice in protest.
"The correspondent said the Republic of China had been maintaining close ties with the United States so as to keep its seat in the United Nations. With the United States attempting to improve relations with the Chinese Communists, he continued, the U.N. seat may be jeopardized and the ROC government is deeply concerned.
"We want to stipulate that the Republic of' China has diplomatic relations with 68 countries. The strong position that free China holds in the world community is not the gift of any friendly nation.
"This is something we have earned with our own blood and sweat. Under the leadership of President Chiang Kai-shek, we have surmounted all difficulties.
"It is true that we must be alert to the complications of the changing world situation. But we are more concerned about the fate of the world than with our own future.
"The United States has contributed its manpower and resources to rehabilitate the free nations and resist Communist aggression in the years since World War II. Yet the United States is often confronted by criticisms from those it has helped. We have the feeling that foolish, ignorant, prejudiced and ill-intentioned American newsmen are principally responsible for this irrational conduct."
China Times—Boon to appeasers
The China Times said December 15 that resumption of the Washington-Peiping talks at Warsaw can only encourage international appeasement of the Chinese Communists.
The paper said: "The Warsaw talks had been in recess since early 1968 because of the Chinese Communist internal chaos and the Paris peace talks.
"The contact between Ambassador W.J. Stoessel and Lei Yang was only a feeler. The United States may seek to relax travel and trade barriers or suggest cultural interflow but cannot expect to change the Maoist stand in international affairs.
"The Maoists have clamored for envelopment of the world's cities by the rural areas and will insist on American evacuation of Taiwan and the Taiwan Straits.
"The United States cannot harbor any illusions about a change in Moscow-Peiping relations. The Maoists will not change their anti-U.S. or anti-Soviet stand because of friendly American gestures.
"Resumption of the Warsaw talks is not in the interest of the United States and encourages international appeasement of the Chinese Communists. Soon after the U.S. contact, Japanese Prime Minister Sato expressed willingness to negotiate with the Maoists.
"We want to quote President Chiang Kai-shek's address to the fifth General Assembly of the Asian Parliamentarians' Union: 'We Chinese expect the civilized world to discard all illusions and avoid giving the Peiping regime encouragement that would prolong the suffering of the Chinese people and enlarge their sacrifices.' "