China firmly opposes US sales of F-16s to Taiwan

(Global Times)

15:14, September 09, 2011

Edited and Translated by People's Daily Online

China is facing a new test as the United States is again considering selling advanced weapons, including the F-16 fighter aircraft to Taiwan. China's reactions to the potential arms sales will exert a great impact on the U.S. judgment of China's strategic determination to safeguard its core interests as well as on the way the two countries handle certain sensitive issues. 

Beijing should send out a clear signal that if the United States sells F-16 aircraft to Taiwan, China will make its most intense response ever, and China-U.S. relations will suffer severe damage. 

The United States is now standing at a crossroads: It can make a premature decision to sell weapons to Taiwan or take a small step back by rejecting the island’s arms request. The United States has not made further arms sales to Taiwan in recent years, and certain U.S. policymakers have suggested suspending arms sales to the island in exchange for closer and wider economic cooperation with China. However, Washington has never stopped considering expanding arms sales to Taiwan. In other words, it may sell weapons to the island at any time. 

Some feel that the factors determining whether or the U.S. sells the F-16 fighters to Taiwan are mainly related to various domestic groups in the U.S., while China's attitude is just a reference. This kind of analysis is incorrect. As long as China's reaction is strong enough, it will make the Untied States suffer a loss that is more than the profit it will gain by selling the F-16 fighters to Taiwan. China is completely able to stop the selling. Even if China did not prevent the transaction, China would make the Untied States suffer enough to make it think twice before taking another adventure.

According to the analysis, the greatest factor that might motivate the Obama Administration to approve the plan is the 80,000 new jobs opportunities created by the sale of the fighters. Then, what China should do in response is to let the United States lose 80,000 jobs opportunities or even triple the number of jobs. Beijing cannot prevent the U.S. congressmen from voting or stop the White House from signing the contract, but China has the power to make the United States lose 240,000 jobs. 

Afterwards, the United States will take vengeance on China. But China could take vengeance on the Untied States once again. Such a nasty trade war has never happened between China and the United States. But it is worthy for China to do it for Taiwan. Whether it is worthy for the United States, they can think of it by themselves. 

When the United States sold weapons to Taiwan last time, China suspended the China-U.S. military exchanges. The United States therefore said China was arrogant, but this kind of blame does not hurt China practically. Western media blame China every day for this or that. If China cannot bear an accusation of "being arrogant," China should change itself thoroughly by stopping expansion in the international market, stopping increases to its military expenditures and even leaving the job of designing the blueprint of its reforms to the people from the United States too. 

Although "sound China-U.S. relations" are in line with China's interests, they are, after all, different from China's interests. If there comes a time when "worse" China-U.S. relations are more likely to safeguard China's interests than "better" China-U.S. relations, China should choose the former without hesitation. 

In fact, this is also applied to China’s relations with other countries. 

Ties between China and the United States must gradually shift toward a direction in which the United States shows its respect to China’s core interests, which will not be naturally available following the ascent of China's strength and will surely come along with some "points of adherence" of China. China should dare to build these battlegrounds and accordingly pay some costs. China is becoming more powerful, but if China does not use its power for long, both China and other countries will get used to their idleness. 

There will come a time sooner or later to tackle the "Taiwan issue between China and the United States." If the United States surely sells the F-16 fighter jets to Taiwan, China must no longer hesitate to take actions.

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