Dragon Fire

CNN: Foreign Minister, thank you for coming on to give us the Chinese perspective on the Taiwan dispute, and I would like to start on as optimistic a note as we can muster. Can you give us a timetable for the withdrawal of Chinese troops from Taiwan?

Song: I hope I can. But I would just like to make clear to the American people what we did and what we are trying to achieve. Our missile strike was very specific. We targeted the building and people inside who were about to issue a declaration of independence. We have always said we would take action and we did. For defensive purposes we will be putting military garrisons on islands previously occupied by Taiwanese troops. These are known in the US as Kinmen or Quemoy, and Matsu. They are about a hundred miles west of the island of Taiwan and dangerously close to our eastern coastline defences. Those operations are still ongoing and I believe the Taiwanese are putting up limited military resistance. I would expect us to be in full control by midday tomorrow.

CNN: Xinhua said that you were helping local fishermen build typhoon shelters.

Song: I don’t edit Xinhua. You want to know what’s happening and I’m telling you. This is too big to try to pit me against our official news agency.

CNN: All right, you occupy the islands. Then what?

Song: We will not strike Taiwan Island again as long as there are no further moves to declare independence. The National Assembly never passed the law. The celebrations did not go ahead, so I see no reason for conflict.

CNN: Except that the people of Taiwan want independence.

Song: They have it. They have more independence than the Kashmiris, the Chechens, the Texans, the Catholics of Northern Ireland and the Tibetans. All we are saying is this: Taiwan will not get a seat in the UN because China is a permanent member of the Security Council and we will veto its admittance. If John Hastings wants to recognize Taiwan’s independence, China will break off relations with the United States. The same applies to any other government. What I suggest is that President Lin grows up. Instead of trying to score personal points for himself, he allows time for us to sort out the Taiwan question. It may not happen in my lifetime or his. But it could emerge peacefully, if he lets it.

CNN: The opinion polls in the US favour American intervention.

Song: Intervene in what? Unless you declare all-out war in China, I can’t see what you can do. You strike one airfield on our east coast and we have a hundred more we can use. Just think what it took to get a deal with Serbia in 1999, and that’s the size of just one county in one of our coastal provinces.

CNN: The feeling here is that Chinese aggression—

Song: Stop right there. Taiwan took advantage of a time when both President Hastings and President Tao were preoccupied with the much more serious problem with India. It was Taiwan, not us, which pushed the independence issue, knowing, and let me repeat that, knowing full well that both Japan and the United States could be militarily drawn into the dispute. If that is not the height of political cynicism and irresponsibility, I don’t know what is. I just hope the American people understand that when they send their young men and women to risk their loves in conflict against us, it would only be to boost the ratings of a phony Taiwanese politician.