Toward Chinese-Taiwanese Military Cooperation
by tdaxp ~ March 12th, 2009
Taiwan will create a body to set the stage for military-military cooperation between China and Taiwan:
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan is working on setting up a think tank to coordinate contacts with the Chinese military, a Defense Ministry official said Monday, in what would be one of the most significant steps so far in rapidly improving relations between the sides.
The official’s comments follow last week’s assertion by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao that Beijing is ready to hold talks with Taiwan on political and military issues aimed at ending hostility with the rival island.
Since the inauguration of Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou in May, long-standing tensions between Taiwan and China have begun to recede, prompted by Ma’s renunciation of his predecessor’s pro-independence policies, and his continuing efforts to deepen the island’s economic relations with the mainland.
The Taiwanese Defense Ministry official told The Associated Press that the purpose of the new liaison organization would be to build mutual trust with the Chinese military “on a step by step basis.” He spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject
The Taiwan Strait is the most likely location for a conventional war against another great economic power. There have already been three crises between the United States and China: the first in 1954 20,000 Chinese died, the second in 1958 400 Taiwanese died, and the third in 1996 increased political and economic instability.
It is important that armed conflict between Taiwan and China becomes as unthinkable as armed conflict between France and Germany.
Update: Thanks to Tom for the link: Interesting to note the casualty trend: 20k to 400 to “instability.”
March 12th, 2009 at 9:43 pm
You have left out the crisis of 1950-1953. Or do you just mean US-China crises over the Taiwan straights?
March 13th, 2009 at 10:20 am
Yeah, I was focusing on situations where we became involved.
On the sunnier side, Tom links to the sort of US-China comingling we need more of [1,2]
[1] http://thomaspmbarnett.com/weblog/2009/03/china_in_afghanistan.html
[2] http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/63452.html
April 6th, 2009 at 5:46 am
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