Our principled leader takes a stand for democracy:
With visiting Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao at his side, President Bush sent a strong warning to Taiwan on Tuesday not to take any action toward independence that could cause new tensions with Beijing.
We oppose any unilateral decision by either China or Taiwan to change the status quo,” Bush said when asked about a planned March 20 vote in Taiwan on China. “And the comments and actions made by the leader of Taiwan indicate that he may be willing to make decisions unilaterally to change the status quo, which we oppose.”
The planned March referendum, coupled with a changing international situation, has led Bush to speak in harsher tones to democratic Taiwan as he pursues a deeper relationship with authoritarian China, particularly on security issues.
. . .
The planned referendum would ask the people of Taiwan if the government should demand China’s withdrawal of hundreds of missiles pointed at the island. U.S. officials believe the vote could push Taiwan closer to independence.
China is a tricky issue, and I’m not saying I have all the answers here. It’s just striking how silent many of the rah-rah-war-for-democracy-in-Iraq crowd is on this one. There’s too few people like this:
To some, it seemed incongruous for Bush to side with the unelected leaders of China instead of the elected leaders of Taiwan.
John Tkacik, an Asia expert at the Heritage Foundation, said it was inconsistent for Bush to deliver a pro-democracy foreign policy speech a month ago only to “tell people of Taiwan they can’t elect a president who reflects their will.”
Seems we’re just for democracy when it suits our purposes.