http://www.newaus.com.au/asia222hainan.html
[Peter Zhang reports on Chinese activities within the Communist nation
regularly to The New Australian. The New Australian is a good foreign
newspaper, I highly recommend it.]
by Peter Zhang
Beijing v. Bush: what it's really about and the Clinton connection
Beijing-The confrontation between the Bush and administration and Beijing is
not about a spy plane. Much, much more is at stake here.
In previous articles I warned of the rise in influence of China's new
warlords, its nationalistic generals. These people are short on American
history and woefully
ignorant of the American temperament. In this they have much in common with
pre-war Japanese militarists.
These generals have helped create the present situation which they consider
a win-win for themselves. If Bush backs down this will be proof that America
is just a
paper tiger and will be used to justify greater military spending and
influence. (The ramifications for Asia and the Pacific region of such a back
down do not bear
thinking about).
On the other hand, if the current crop of Chinese leaders fail to humiliate
Bush, this will be paraded as proof that China needs to accelerate its
military spending even
further in order to prevent future humiliations.
It's plain that the Chinese political leadership is in a bind of its own
making here, even if it does not realise it. Either way, those who council a
more prudent policy
towards the US will find themselves isolated and their influence weakened.
The longer the crew of the EP-3 are kept in captivity the more it suits the
generals.
Right now war is not on the agenda, but a power struggle is. This is the
main reason why Jiang Zemin has become so bellicose on the issue of the spy
plane. It's not
the crew's future that is at stake here but his own. I don't want to convey
the impression that it is only the generals who are pushing the
nationalistic barrow. There are
plenty within the Party that go along with them.
Once we understand the nature of what is going on we can see that the crew
are also pawns in this Beijing power play. And that is why they will be
released fairly
soon. (Assuming nothing goes horribly wrong).
I cannot say whether the Bush administration is completely aware of the
power struggle, but there is nothing that Bush can do other than stand firm.
Even our generals
admire, fear and respect courage.
Nevertheless, China has put much at risk: its desire to join the WTO, the
Olympic games, IMF funding projects, foreign investment and American
know-how. Why
do some of these schemers think the risk is worth it? William Jefferson
Clinton is the answer. After all, the current situation is his legacy.
Tyrants have only contempt for weakness, and weakness and moral turpitude is
all that Clinton ever displayed to Beijing. Its contempt for Clinton was so
deep that
high ranking members of the regime sneeringly referred to Clinton in private
as "nanren men zai hua sheng dun" (our man in Washington).
Rumours still abound that Beijing had blackmailed Clinton with a detailed
dossier on drug taking, sexual assault, bribery and various acts of
corruption. (Any
American politicians who take bribes from the PLA will be very foolish
indeed if they think their benefactors will not turn their corruption
against them). It's no
wonder then that many interpreted Clinton's willingness to submit to
Beijing's demands as evidence that he was firmly in the regime's pocket.
In Clinton the regime found a corrupt, venal, vain and cowardly man. But
Clinton was not alone. Two years ago I wrote: "American corporations
directly assisted
Beijing to upgrade its weapons systems � for a price.
The likes of William Hambrecht1 [principal in the San Francisco investment
firm of Hambrecht & Quist] and Bernard Schwartz [one-time president Of Loral
Aerospace], well-known heavy contributors to the Democratic Party, have also
benefited handsomely from arrangements with the PLA, as have a great many
other
big shot executives who seem to prefer the colour green to red, white and
blue.
What would get you the death penalty in Asia could buy you a New York estate
in the US. What the activities of these greedy executives might eventually
cost their
fellow American citizens is something that only time will tell." Well,
America is now paying part of the price � and there could be more to come if
Bush does not
stand firm.
Instead of standing fast with China's potential reformers and democrats and
offering them unstinting support, making clear there would be no truck with
warlords,
Clinton chose to abandon them. The result is what might become known as the
"Hainan incident". So much for Clinton's absurd "strategic partnership" with
Beijing.
Although Beijing's powerbrokers can be astute judges of character they tend
to be appalling judges of national temperament. This failing has persuaded
them that
America is in an acute state of terminal moral decay. For this you can thank
their inability to make the distinction between Clinton's depravity and the
American
temperament. This has led to potentially dangerous consequences made worse
by the fact that Clinton weakened America's ability to deal with an
aggressive and
resurgent Chinese military.
Within a matter of years this depraved man virtually destroyed the moral
authority of the United States among China's emerging intelligentsia and
helped fuel a very
dangerous brand of nationalism. Not only did this man sell his country's
secrets to Beijing, he even destroyed its moral credibility among the
Chinese people. No
wonder the Chinese military felt free to challenge the US.
I have stressed before that Beijing's long term strategic objective is to
drive American bases and influence out of the Pacific region and to exercise
hegemony over it.
The arrogance that Beijing has shown over the EP-3 incident provides us with
a small example of what living under Beijing's friendly shadow would be
like.
However, by tipping its hand the regime has given Bush a heaven-sent excuse
to raise military spending, build a national missile defence system and
strengthen
regional ties, especially with Taiwan and Australia. He had better grab it
with both hands.
1 Hambrecht provided finance to Salon to help it dig up dirt on Kenneth
Starr and Henry Hyde in an effort to sabotage a congressional investigation
into Clinton's
criminal behaviour. I think its time that someone investigated Hambrecht's
financial connections with the PLA. I'm sure that he and his fellow
progressive Democrats
wouldn't object.
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