Toby Westerman, Editor and Publisher                                                                                   Copyright 2003

Return to INA TODAY.com  homepage International News Analysis -- the in-depth print report -- covers threats to our nation other media won't address. INA has no hidden agendas, "sacred cows," or "unspoken understandings" that restrain our news coverage. We filter nothing. INA uses sources others cannot -- or will not -- use to report on topics the other news organizations won't touch. Order 12 issues of International News Analysis for only $29.95 U.S. funds; ($39.95 Canadian and overseas). International News Analysis provides in-depth background on the events reported by INAToday.com. International News Analysis gives readers unique perspective on world events, since 1996. Send subscriptions to: International News Analysis. 2364 Jackson St. #301 Stoughton, WI 53589 U.S.A. Save on Your Taxes With A Donation to International News Analysis Institute Corp! Inatoday.com is sponsored by International News Analysis Institute Corp, a tax deductible, nonprofit 501 (c) (3) organization. Your contribution will help the real story to be told on overseas events, untainted by the dominant media. We provide the news other sources can't or won't tell you about. Inatoday.com directly benefits you. Please provide us with your support. You may contribute by credit card: -- or by check to: International News Analysis 2364 Jackson St. #301 Stoughton, WI 53589 U.S.A. Potential Catastrophe as Communist China 's Actions in Hong Kong Threaten to Ignite Pacific -- Will U.S. be Involved? July 4, 2003 By Toby Westerman Copyright 2003 International News Analysis Today www.inatoday.com Communist China's demand that the former British colony of Hong Kong enact Article 23 - a stringent "anti-subversion" law -- is intensifying Taiwan's already palpable fear of rule by Beijing. The United States could eventually become involved as Communist China projects its growing military might into the Pacific Ocean, and affects U.S. allies and interests. Communist China, which is engaging in a rapid military build-up, is demanding that Taiwan, a traditional friend of the U.S., submit to Beijing's authority and adopt the same form of government as Hong Kong. Tsai Ing-wen, the Chairwoman of Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, which conducts Taiwan's relations with China, declared that Article 23 is undermining any hope of peaceful reunification of the island with the mainland, according to Radio Taipei International, the official broadcasting system of Taiwan, Republic of China. Beijing has warned Taiwan that it faces attack if it does not submit to communist rule. Communist China's vast and fast-paced modernization program of its military will eventually permit a swift, devastating attack on the island, leaving the U.S. little time to aid its traditional ally. Russia is Communist China's chief backer for its build-up, providing technical assistance and training to the Chinese military. Moscow has been Beijing's major supplier of weapons, training, and technology since the mid-1990s, and stated that it will assist Communist China in the construction of an orbiting space station. Observers note that sales of products made in China and sold abroad finance Beijing's military ambitions. Ironically, the U.S. may be financing a military showdown with Communist China, since U.S. consumer purchases pump billions of dollars into the Chinese economy, which, in turn, pays for China's increasingly sophisticated military machine. While Communist China's war capabilities cast a growing shadow over the Asia-Pacific region, influential politicians on Taiwan declare that the island is defacto independent, a statement certain to inflame Beijing. Taiwan separated from the mainland in 1949, when victorious communist troops forced defeated Nationalist troops to seek haven on the island. The U.S. Pacific fleet prevented communist troops from mounting an assault. Although the U.S. ceased to recognize the Republic of China on Taiwan as the official government of China in 1979, the U.S. in 1979 adopted the Taiwan Relations Act requiring that the U.S. provide the island with the means needed to defend itself. International News Analysis covers the pressing issues the other media do not. Mail subscriptions to: International News Analysis 2364 Jackson St. #301 Stoughton, WI 53589 U.S.A. Return to INA TODAY.com homepage