-Caveat Lector- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=001863356114602&rtmo=au55ThCJ&atmo=99999999 &pg=/et/99/8/19/wtai19.html ISSUE 1546 Thursday 19 August 1999 Taiwan looks for protection under US missile shield By David Rennie in Beijing PRESIDENT LEE TENG-HUI of Taiwan said yesterday that his island needed the protection of a proposed US-Japanese "Star Wars"-style anti-missile shield. His backing for the programme, the Theatre Missile Defence system, will further enrage Beijing, which is already furious at Mr Lee's recent call for Taiwan to be treated as an equal by the Chinese mainland. Beijing, which regards the island as a rebel province, has denounced the TMD project as an American-led plot to dominate Asia. In the face of heightened military threats from the mainland, Mr Lee said yesterday: "Setting up a TMD system would cope with the current situation and be in the nation's interest. Every effort [for the system] deserves praise." On Monday, US and Japanese officials signed an agreement to research the satellite-linked TMD project amid fears that North Korea is preparing to test a new long-range missile. The ship-based system could easily be extended to cover the island. America is sworn to defend Taiwan in the event of an attack. But Mr Lee's public enthusiasm for TMD puts President Clinton in a tricky position. Washington has, to date, failed to back Taipei in its latest row with Beijing, choosing to maintain the diplomatic formula that there is only "one China". Meanwhile, the mainland's official Liberation Army Daily warned its readers yesterday that Taiwan was armed to the teeth with the latest Western weapons. Analysts saw the warning as an attempt, in part, to play down feverish domestic expectations that Beijing might be poised to take military action against Taiwan. The state media have been filled for weeks with pictures of troops storming beaches and denunciations of Mr Lee as a "historic criminal" and deformed "test-tube baby". Mr Lee is seen to be pushing the debate with Beijing as far as he can before he retires after elections next March. The mainland media have concentrated their attacks on him in person, rather than on the Taipei authorities, in the hope that the sabre-rattling will cause other politicians to abandon him. Although heavily armed, both Beijing's and Taipei's military suffer from poor training. A Taiwanese pilot ejected safely as his US-made F-16 fighter crashed yesterday - the fourth such accident in 17 months. The latest incident led to the grounding of Taiwan's F-16 fleet, pending investigations. China's air force is equally disaster-prone, while its navy has had to ask Moscow for "advisers" to help crew four advanced Russian-built submarines. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=001863356114602&rtmo=au55ThCJ&atmo=99999999 &pg=/et/99/8/19/wtai19.html America, Mark Twain once said, is a nation without a distinct criminal class "with the possible exception of Congress." Bard Visit me at: The Center for Exposing Corruption in the Federal Government http://www.xld.com/public/center/center.htm Federal Government defined: ....a benefit/subsidy protection racket! DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
