A HAZARDOUS game of brinkmanship gathered pace in the Taiwan Strait yesterday as Chinese troops readied themselves for new exercises, the US ordered a second aircraft carrier into the region, and the Taiwanese President, Mr Lee Teng hui, said the island's people "must unite and struggle on".
In Beijing, the Chinese Foreign Minister, Mr Qian Qichen, said it was "ridiculous" for anyone to call for the US to intervene in defence of Taiwan. "I think these people must have forgotten the fact that Taiwan is a part of Chinese territory", he said. "It is not a protectorate of the United States."
Nine days of naval and aircraft exercises using live ammunition are due to start today, the latest move by Beijing to intimidate Taiwan before presidential elections on March 23rd. Taiwan government officials said preparatory troop movements had been detected, and that the exercises at the south end of the strait would include missile firings, anti submarine measures, artillery and bombing runs.
China has marked out a large rectangular zone for the exercises, which reaches to about 40 miles from the Taipei held island of Quemoy and also touches the mid point of the Taiwan Strait.
The US Secretary of State, Mr Warren Christopher, calling China's actions "reckless", on Sunday said a battle group led by the aircraft carrier Independence would be moved "somewhat closer" to Taiwan "in a position to be helpful if they need to be". A guided missile frigate and a destroyer have been added to the group, which will be in international waters between Taiwan and the Japanese island of Okinawa.
An Aegis type cruiser, the Bunker Hill, has been positioned, to the south of the Taiwan strait to monitor China's exercises. The nuclear powered carrier Nimitz plus support ships will also arrive in the region "in about two weeks", according to the Pentagon.
With all these vessels in place, the US force would include more than 110 carrier based strike aircraft and ships with more than 200 Tomahawk cruise missiles.
Mr Qian yesterday again blamed President Clinton's decision last year to grant a visa to Mr Lee as being the prime cause of the present escalating tension. But he also said that if the Taiwan leadership could "amend its ways . . . then the situation will be eased", hinting specifically that Beijing has identified President, Lee's campaign for a United Nations seat for Taiwan as a key to the conflict.
"Taiwan is part of China's territory, so how can it be eligible for the UN?", he said.
President Lee, who is almost certain to win the elections, has so far shown no sign of looking for compromises. Yesterday, he said Taiwan would tread "very carefully" but that the Taiwanese "must unite and struggle on even if Communist China test fires 100 missiles and 1,000 bullets to push Taiwan into the corner".
AFP adds: Taiwan's leading pro independence group, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), announced yesterday that its leader would stage a protest at China's exercises by sailing into a zone named as a splashdown area and burning a Chinese flag.
In Brussels, the EU said it "deeply regretted" China's firing of missiles into the waters off Taiwan and said the planned military exercises could increase the possibility of confrontation.
The statement, issued by the EU's current Italian presidency, urged Beijing to stick to its declared policy on Taiwan which it said is "to seek a peaceful solution" and stop any action likely to have a negative effect on security.
"The planned week long exercises could lead to further tension in the region and increase the possibility of any miscalculation eventually leading to confrontation", it said.