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US sending wrong signal to Taiwan, says China

BEIJING: China denounced on Thursday a CIA assessment saying that its arms buildup is tilting the balance of power in the Taiwan Straits, and said the comments sent the wrong signal to Taiwan, the self-governing island it claims as its own.

CIA Director Porter Goss on Wednesday also told the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence that China’s capabilities threaten US forces in the region.

“We hope this high level US official can objectively analyse the current Taiwan Strait situation, can seriously observe the one-China policy..., oppose Taiwan independence, and not to send wrong signal to Taiwan independence forces,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan told a news conference.

The United States recognises the mainland as China’s sole legitimate government, but it is also obligated to help the island defend itself, and US officials have been warning about China’s aggressive military buildup for some time.

The latest assessment suggests the threat may be growing and plays down more positive aspects of Beijing’s international role, which were highlighted in last year’s annual CIA report to the US Congress.

The CIA report reflects growing concern in the Bush administration and among US experts about a possible clash between China and self-governing Taiwan that could embroil the United States. “In the Taiwan Strait, it is some separatists on the island of Taiwan island who are creating problems, turbulence and a tense situation,” Kong said.

China views Taiwan, which has been taking an increasingly pro-independence stance, as a renegade province that must be united with the mainland, by force if necessary.

China has also proposed an anti-secession law, to be ratified by its parliament in March, which Taiwan has warned would anger the self-governing island and ratchet up tension across the Strait, seen as a dangerous potential flashpoint. reuters

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