Missile threat out of Washington?

The massive display of military firepower at the October 1 parade marking the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China's founding has indeed given DPP politicians something to talk about.

By all accounts, Beijing has more than 1,000 guided missiles deployed in neighboring Fujian, Jiangxi and Guangdong provinces that are aimed at targets in Taiwan.

Politicians have complained about how local TV networks broadcast live footage of the October 1 parade and the long line of freshly-painted missiles as if this somehow has cowered the people of Taiwan into submission.

They have even demanded that President Ma Ying-jeou stage a similar display of our own military might, even though plans for this year's Double Ten celebrations were canceled out of respect for the 700-plus victims of Typhoon Morakot.

For all of the noise they have been making and alarms they have been sounding, DPP politicians have completely missed the boat when it comes to raising public concern about the military threat from mainland China. That's because as things turned out, the gravest threat to our defense from Beijing's missiles has emerged not in Beijing, but in Washington.

According to a report published in Thursday's Washington Times, U.S. President Barack Obama recently delegated the White House's authority to approve sales of sensitive U.S. missile and space technology to the Commerce Department.

The newspaper known for its close ties to conservatives and sources in the U.S. Department of Defense cited a “presidential determination” issued in late September that transferred authority over the sensitive sales down to the Commerce Department.

The move is widely expected to result in new sales of highly sensitive American technology that will help Beijing improve the accuracy and efficiency of its growing force of guided missiles.

The Commerce Department has insisted that any proposed sales will be closely screened just as they were when authority was still with the White House.

But the fact of the matter is that now that this power has been transferred to the Commerce Department, security experts and advisers working in the White House will no longer play a meaningful role in reviewing the sales.

The Department of Commerce, which is more concerned with boosting U.S. exports and creating jobs, will take over the task of evaluating whether such sales would improve Beijing's military capabilities. Taiwan's security is not a major issue in this department.

1|2|Next Page>>

SharePrintEmail

Write a Comment

Terms

Enter your comments - 3000 characters max

Type in image code

Submit

 Receive China Post promos
 Respond to this email