CHINA FURIOUS AT US ARMS SALES TO TAIWAN

OLD CONFLICT BETWEEN CHINA-TAIWAN
AFFECTS US-CHINA FUTURE RELATIONS

BEIJING - TAIPEI (Reuters) - China has expressed fury at Washington's announcement of a new arms package for self-ruled Taiwan, saying it threatens the task of peaceful reunification between the two sides. China suspended military exchanges with Washington after the plan was announced. It has not yet said what sanctions it might impose on the firms, which are supplying Taiwan with missiles, Black Hawk helicopters, information systems and two mine-hunters. China's state media has accused the United States of "arrogance" and "double standards" in pursuing arms sales to Taiwan. China has warned of "serious harm" to relations between the two powers, the suspension of military contact and sanctions against the firms involved. An American law, the Taiwan Relations Act 1979, requires any administration "to provide Taiwan with arms of a defensive character". This is a red line between China and the US. If Washington ever sold clearly offensive weapons to Taiwan - such as cruise or ballistic missiles - China would be seriously angered and Taiwan might be actually threatened. A key point to remember about US arms sales to Taiwan is that they are designed to be defensive. China, the world's third-largest economy and a veto-wielding member of the U.N. Security Council, claims sovereignty over ethnically Chinese Taiwan and has not renounced the use of force to bring the proudly democratic island under its control.

So, China maintains its right to threat of force if Taiwan seeks independence. On the other hand, the US declares its right to defend Taiwan while accepting that it cannot be an independent state. China has suspended military talks with the US, and it is also threatening those US companies involved in the sale with a ban on sales in China. Chinese government has talked of the damage to co-operation on international and regional problems due to US plans to sale arms to Taiwan last week.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

The duty of the government or king is not to increase military power unnecessarily; the real duty of the government is to see that the people of the state advance in Krishna consciousness. ... Everyone must understand Krishna's activities (“janma karma ca me divyam” [Bg. 4.9]). If one understands the purpose of Krishna's coming to this earth and performing His activities, one is immediately liberated. This liberation is the purpose of the creation and Krishna's descent upon the surface of the earth.

Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda :
“The Śrīmad Bhāgavatam”
Purport in Canto 9 - Chapter 24 - Verse 59.