Washington’s Actions Against China Unlikely to Affect Relations

WASHINGTON, 25 March 2004 — A series of US actions against China on trade and human rights issues may have angered Beijing but are unlikely to adversely impact bilateral relations although Taiwan remains a major obstacle, analysts here say.

Some see the US moves as “China-bashing” ahead of the American presidential elections in November but others consider them as legitimate concerns that need to be tackled head-on.

“The US-China relationship is a very important relationship, neither Washington or Beijing wants to jeopardize this relationship,” said Ted Carpenter, vice president for defense and foreign policy studies at Washington-based Cato Institute.

So long as they do not have major disagreement on key issues -like Taiwan, the nuclear crisis in the Korean Peninsula, terrorism and overall trade links -there is nothing to worry about, Carpenter said.

The United States earned the wrath of China Tuesday after it moved to sponsor a resolution condemning Beijing for alleged human rights abuses at the ongoing UN Human Rights Commission meeting in Geneva. Also, in an unprecedented move last week, the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), the largest US umbrella trade union group, filed a petition with the government urging action against Beijing for alleged workers’ rights abuses.

Richard Ellings, president of the Seattle-based National Bureau of Asian Research, which conducts studies on policy issues in Asia, said he did see the latest events as a deviation of US strategy of engaging China over the long haul.

The only bilateral issue which analysts see can blow up into a war between the two powers is Taiwan, where President Chen Shui-bian was declared winner by a thin majority in a weekend election disputed by the opposition Kuomintang.

The United States is a key ally of Taiwan and has pledged to defend it if comes under attack although Washington respects the one-China policy in which Beijing defines the island as a part of China.

Even then, Carpenter said the United States seemed to be cooperating with China “probably more than in the past” on the Taiwan issue. “But there is a limit to how much US will go to sacrifice Taiwan and it is very risky for Beijing to see this as green light to put intense pressure on Taiwan because of US commitment to the island’s security,” he said. Ellings warned that the Taiwan issue, if not handled well, could lead to a US-China military confrontation.