From: utzoo!decvax!duke!harpo!ihps3!ihuxq!reza
Newsgroups: net.misc
Title: Re: John Wayne woule never have ...
Article-I.D.: ihuxq.153
Posted: Wed Aug 18 09:33:13 1982
Received: Fri Aug 20 01:05:24 1982


   There is a point that you have to remember when considering the relationship
between the US, the Republic Of China (Taiwan or ROC), and the Peoples Republic
of China (red China or mainland China).  As far as I know this is the way it
happened.  During the 1949 revolution the (right wing) ruling government's
army was getting beat all over the place.  At the end of the revolution, what
was left of the army and "corrupted" ruling class was led to the island of
Taiwan (Formosa) by president Chiankichek (I am almost sure that I have spelled
his name wrong, so I will call him president C. from now).

At the time, the communist militia had more than enough power to capture the
island and finish the job.  But that was when the US stepped in. The US did not
want this last piece of "free" land in China be taken over by the communists. So
it let the red China know that invading Formosa would make them face the US army
(as did their invasion of South Korea a few years later).

   So it was not the fear of a few airplanes that kept red China from invading
Taiwan.  It was the fear of the United States army.  In other words, selling
arms to Taiwan has been just a gesture to Peking that the US still supports
president C.

   I might be wrong, but I remember that red China has been shelling
"uninhibited" parts of Taiwan since 1949 almost everyday.  If the the arms
that the US sold Taiwan was anything but a gesture, they would have been
used to shell mainland China back.

   Now that the relationship between communist China and the US is becoming
friendly, there is no need to sell arms to Taiwan.  The Peking regime will
not be crazy enough to risk the friendship of the US by invading Taiwan.

   As far as the political system in Taiwan is concerned, I only have
one thing to say.  After president C. died a few years ago, HIS SON was
"elected !!" president after him.  You guess the rest of it.


						ihuxq!reza