Taiwan told U.S. may not defend the island

[lovuian]

http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/?sid=0e4e09b6b6418a9f

Taiwan's presidential hopeful Ma Ying-jeou, after visiting U.S. officials, said Washington is unlikely to defend the island if it sparks a war with Beijing.

Speaking in Los Angeles at the end of a 10-day U.S. visit, Ma said that in meetings with senior U.S. officials, whom he declined to identify, he was told the United States would have no obligation to help the island fight a war with Chinese forces if the Taiwanese authorities had done anything to spark the crisis, the South China Morning Post reported Tuesday.

Beijing has repeatedly warned that it will attack the island if it declares independence.

The 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, passed when Washington switched recognition from Taipei to Beijing, requires the United States to help defend the island if China uses military force against Taiwan.

U.S. Senator John Warner, who heads the Senate's Armed Services Committee, warned earlier this month that Washington might not come full force to Taiwan's rescue if it sparked armed conflict with China.
more...
Senator Warner the war hawk will send troops to Iraq to free them for democracy but Tawain can fall to Communist China... interesting??? huh!!!

[BattyDem]

1. Hey Taiwan ... no oil ... so f*ck you!

:sarcasm:

[goforit]

5. Spoken from a true Bushie. (Joining your sarc)

[Selatius]

2. Big business loves Authoritarian China. It's too profitable to threaten.

It's cheaper for US companies to get labor in China than it is for labor in Taiwan. Taiwan actually has decent labor standards and actually demands a fair day's wage! We wouldn't want that now, would we!

[tocqueville]

3. the US NEVER intended to defend Taiwan since Nixon

but it was good catapulted propaganda to make believe it was (is) so. Besides the Chinese are right on this one.
What they want is a Hong Kong system. And the US should push that way to avoid future trouble. Because the day the Chinese are ready, they will cross over to Taipei.

[Redstone]

8. Ask the Taiwanese if "The Chinese are right on this one."

Don't they have a right to decide for themselves?

What happened to Americans being in favor of self-determination for everyone?

Redstone

[sweetheart]

4. hardly all that unsuprising given republican cowardice

Yellow bellied cowards slinking about maliciously,
figures they'd walk out on democracy and a free capitalist state,
in order to ingratiate themselves seruptitiously,
*please* a totalitarian dictatorship, gun barrels of hate.
In their electoral posturing so viciously,
bush-bots set their media phaser to stun, so we can relate,
and they harp on so much about national security,
yet, for all the talk, they sell us out too late.

I can see them now, hiding down behind the wall,
needs use the deaths of others, republican degenerate,
to affirm their spot in bush jesus's sacred hall,
and the rest of the world can expectatntly await.
Cowardly prison men hunkering in bunkers belligerently,
hiding from truth, god's champions wait and see.

[Redstone]

6. It's the New American Way...invade a country that didn't do a

damn thing to us, but turn our backs on our friends...

I'm pretty ashamed of this country right now.

Redstone

[Minnesota Libra]

7. OMFG - we've lost the last friend we had in Asia. We just................

....lost any and all credibility we ever had around the world.:wtf: Japan and South Korea will definitely set up and take notice too. OMG, what has this piece of effing MF gone and done now?? :hide: :grr: :banghead: :mad:

[Igel]

9. It's what I would have said.

I'm in favor of independence for Taiwan. Yet this I agree with.

It's precisely what you tell a kid when there's a bully around: If he attacks you, I'll protect you; but if you tweak his nose or provoke him, you take your own lumps.

To guarantee protection under all circumstances is to promote stupid acts.

[0007]

10. .....and to rub it in they have that senile Senator from Virgina

to break the news. My goodness what a country we live in, 'eh? The reason Liz got rid of this prick is because Warner has an inverted penis.

[BootinUp]

11. Just another Bush Admin failure

We had China bluffed for decades until dubya opened his big mouth.

[Deja Q]

12. Damn. So much for that Athlon64 motherboard I wanted...

[anotherdrew]

13. "not come full force" - would we dare fire a shot? Bush would not dare

"the last thing we need is a war with china mr president"

"not come full force" so what? - they'll slap some nominative sanctions on them and make some diplomatic noise?
would we come half force? Taiwan's not going to get away, anymore than we would accept it if the Confederacy had invaded an island off the coast of the US and tried to set up shop permanently.

[Oversea Visitor]

14. Haha Good point

China dont care about Taiwan "Do what you want just dont go tell us you not part of China"
Man they are in all sense a Goverment or country functioning independently.
Why dont they just see what their words can do to change all this reality into choas.

Is Taiwan a democracy.....
Does Taiwan has freedom...
Does they have Liberty....

Right now they have all of this
Man if they want to exchange this all for just saying I am not part of China good luck to them.