Red Scare

China Must Prepare to 'Crush' Taiwan Independence Moves

BEIJING (Reuters) - China turned up the heat on Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian on Wednesday, labeling him "immoral" for gambling with the island's future by pushing for independence.

Beijing also said it must prepare to crush independence attempts in Taiwan, one of its strongest statements in weeks against the island it regards as a breakaway province that has to be brought back into the fold, by force if necessary.

Ah, so Chen is immoral for wanting his people to control to break away from the Worker's Paradise of China and you know, control their own future through "democracy", but threatening to "crush" another country without provokation is fine and dandy though.

"The difference in social systems between the two sides of the straits cannot be used as an excuse to split the motherland," [Li Weiyi, spokesman for the Beijing government's cabinet's policy-making Taiwan Affairs Office] Li said.

Yes, it would be a shame if China were to be torn a part over hairsplitting about "tyranny" and "liberty".

Remember a few weeks ago when Bush gave that nice speech on promoting democracy abroad? Remember last week when he took China's side against Taiwan? Exactly. I'm getting really tired of the President's bait and switch routine, it gets really old after the dozenth time.

On the upside to all of this, the more belligerent China gets, the more likely KMT (the Nationalists) will get beaten by Chen Shui-bian. After all, the refrendum legislation that got all this rolling was a KMT proposal. If even watered down half measures written by the anti-independence party manage to enrage the Red Menace, the public will probably realize that there is no placating China and go whole hog for the Democratic Progressive Party. After all, it was China's idiotic missile tests that helped Chen win the first time.