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Jacky Hsu

Nailene Chou

Beijing's offer to the US of a mutual reduction of weaponry could help ease hostilities with Taiwan

Beijing  will consider reducing the number of missiles aimed at Taiwan along the eastern coast of the mainland if the United States stops selling advanced weaponry to the island, it was reported yesterday.

Quoting a high-level military source in Beijing, the Hong Kong-based Ta Kung Pao newspaper said removing the missiles was a possibility.

'If the US doesn't sell advanced weapons to Taiwan, we can consider removing the missiles,' the source was quoted as saying.

It is not the first time the mainland has offered to strike such a deal with the US.  Former president  Jiang Zemin  was reported to have made a similar offer during his visit to the US in October 2002 but Washington did not respond to the proposed deal, analysts said.

The proposal for a mutual reduction of weaponry was also broached when US Vice-President Dick Cheney visited Beijing in April.

Tensions across the Taiwan Strait have risen  since Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian  was elected for a second term. Despite his public denials, the mainland believes Mr Chen is steering Taiwan steadily towards independence.

Beijing has reiterated that as long as Taiwan recognises the one-China principle, anything can be discussed.

Last month, the mainland's Taiwan Affairs Office - while lashing out at Mr Chen for promoting independence - suggested the two sides could even  talk about a mechanism to end military hostilities across the strait if Taipei accepted the principle.

The mainland's latest offer  comes after the Taiwanese cabinet put forward a proposal for a NT$610 billion (HK$141.5 billion) special budget. The budget - if approved  - would allow the island's military to buy anti-missile systems, submarines and anti-submarine aircraft from the US.

The central government has repeatedly protested against US arms sales to Taiwan, saying they violate the communique of August 17, 1982, in which Washington pledged to reduce weapons sales. The pact has never been strictly implemented.

Mainland military analysts believe that arming Taiwan is part of the US strategy of encircling and containing the mainland, as embodied by the ballistic missile defence system it plans to sell  to the island.

Analysts in Taiwan say the cross-strait arms race is actually a vicious  circle in which Beijing increases its weapons deployment for fear of Taiwanese independence, while Taipei buys more US arms because of the mainland's threats.

'Because the mainland thinks the Chen government has strayed from the middle-road policy, it feels the need to build up its weapons system to prepare to check Taiwan from becoming independent,' former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi  said.

He said this was also why the Chen government felt the need to buy the NT$610 billion worth of arms,  hoping that by strengthening its military ties with the US, Washington would intervene should the mainland attack the island.

'It's what someone called an NT$610 billion insurance premium, or protection fee, to pay to the US,' he said.

But  he added the mainland's claims that the US had not abided by the 1982 joint communique were unjustified.

'There is a precondition in the communique, that is, the mainland must maintain a peace principle in dealing with cross-strait ties,' Mr Su said.



'Stop selling arms, we'll reduce missiles'