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American Morning

China Condemns Recent Bush Statements

Aired April 26, 2001 - 10:04   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Turning now from power to politics, Beijing is issuing an angry response to President Bush's most recent remarks. Over the last couple of days, Mr. Bush has abandoned longstanding American ambiguities over China and Taiwan and he has stated that the U.S. would do what it takes to help Taiwan defend itself against a possible Chinese attack. Now, China says the comments have left the country and its leaders "strongly indignant."

CNN's Beijing bureau chief, Rebecca MacKinnon, now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I have said that I will do what it takes to help Taiwan defend herself and the Chinese must understand that.

REBECCA MACKINNON, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): China's reaction? Outrage.

ZHANG QIYUE, FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESWOMAN: The U.S. issued erroneous remarks after its decision to sell sophisticated arms to Taiwan. This shows that it has drifted further down a dangerous road.

MACKINNON: President Bush did qualify his remarks by repeating the U.S. commitment to a one China policy that Taiwan should be considered part of China and should not declare independence. But from Beijing's point of view, Bush's decision this week to sell the island a substantial weapons package proves that Bush is reversing promises made by previous presidents.

QIYUE: We hope the U.S. side will recognize the seriousness of arms sales to Taiwan and honor the promises it made in three Sino-U.S. joint communiques. Any consequences will be the responsibility of the U.S. and China reserves the right to take further actions.

MACKINNON: Observers say there's growing internal pressure on the Chinese government to act.

YAN XUETONG, TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY: One thing is very clear, we must take some military action.

MACKINNON: What can China do? Beijing has already hinted it may go back on agreements made with the Clinton administration not to sell arms to certain countries. Analysts say China could also blockade or board and search ships on their way to Taiwan.

XUETONG: We need to check all these suspected thieves which possibly illegally proliferate arms into Taiwan.

MACKINNON (on camera): When Bush was first elected, diplomats here say they were bracing for a few stormy months in the U.S.-China relationship. But most Chinese officials here believed that in the end Bush would stick to his father's policies. Now many fear that the relationship may be heading into uncharted territory.

Rebecca MacKinnon, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LINDA STOUFFER, CNN ANCHOR: Well, some of President Bush's strongest language came from a one-on-one interview that aired live yesterday right here on CNN.

CNN senior White House correspondent John King conducted that question and answer session and he joins us with more now on this developing story -- John, good morning.

JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Linda.

Well, as you can see, the president's remarks causing consternation in Beijing, also causing some concern here in the United States and in the capitals of key allies around the world.

Now, the administration making the case that the president didn't break any new policy ground, that the United States has always been committed to defending Taiwan. But they concede here at the White House that this president said explicitly, publicly, what no U.S. president has said before. The strategy in the past is to be deliberately vague so as to leave both Taiwan and China guessing as to just what it would take, where is the threshold for U.S. military intervention in the Taiwan Straits.

But the president's National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, speaking to reporters last night after the president's remarks said that this president has decided to be public and candid about what he considers to be the U.S. obligations under what's called the Taiwan Relations Act, Dr. Rice saying, "The president makes very clear the United States has an obligation that Taiwan's peaceful way of life is not upset by force." That's her interpretation of the Taiwan law.

She says the remarks also show how seriously and resolutely the president takes this obligation and that a secure Taiwan will be better able to engage in a cross straits dialogue.

Now, many in the Congress, though, say the president, if he was going to publicly commit, as he did, the United States military to defend Taiwan, he should have consulted the allies first. He should have spoken to Congress first. He should have done it in an address to the American people, not in television interviews. What the White House is saying, though, is that look back on what President Bush, then Governor Bush, said during the campaign. He said he wanted to be more open and more candid about the United States' commitments to Taiwan and they also concede here that at this moment, in part because of the Chinese military buildup across the Taiwan Straits, this president wants to have a somewhat tougher posture versus Beijing -- Linda.

STOUFFER: John, a quick question for you. In the piece just before you we had from Beijing, our Rebecca MacKinnon said that there might be increasing pressure on these Chinese leaders to do something, that they might look at selling arms to other countries, might look at going ahead with some kind of blockade. Is the Bush administration ready for that?

KING: Well, if China went on and started selling weapons again, that would obviously draw a rebuke from the administration. And remember, there's a debate in this country about how to react, too, to the recent stand-off over the surveillance plane. Some want to cut off trade relations. Some want the United States to oppose Beijing's bid to host the 2008 Olympics.

So both countries now, some of this posturing, some of it, of course, reassessments in both countries of the relations in this still very young Bush administration -- Linda.

STOUFFER: A lot still unsettled. John King, thank you very much for that.

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