CHINA-The relationship between the United States and China may well be the most important global political issue of the 21st century. A recent book on the People's Republic chided Americans and their government for the disproportionate attention paid to a "rag-tag group of terrorists" (Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, Hezbollah, et al) in terms of the security of the United States. The author posits that China potentially poses a much more serious threat to the United States in this regard. Bluntly stated, China need not be concerned about how to manufacture and deliver a primitive nuclear device or "dirty bomb"; they have the real thing and the technology to make it effective. Having said this, however, it is in America's best interest (as well as the Chinese) to maintain as cordial a relationship as possible. There seems to be a substantial reservoir of goodwill between the governments and peoples of both countries. There is no doubt that the westernization and limited democratization of China was largely achieved by the more open policy toward this communist giant which was first pursued under the Nixon administration. (On a personal note, I visited Beijing for the first time in March of 2003. I had visited Moscow in 1986 when it was still the capital of the Soviet Union, a dull, drab, uninviting city. The contrast could not have been more striking. Beijing impressed me as a vibrant, western-style metropolis, complete with gay bars, discos, punk rock, and A&W root beer stands!) We must always deal with the Chinese from a position of strength. The development of new missile technology to which U.S. satellites may be vulnerable is particularly troubling. The Chinese must be made aware that we welcome their movement towards democratization and value their cooperation in regard to economic, diplomatic, and security matters, but that we will not allow ourselves to become vulnerable, militarily or otherwise, to any other nation.
(Bennie Lee "Ben" Ferguson is an independent write-in U.S. presidential candidate registered with the Federal Election Comission. E-mail: [email protected]. Web page: http://candidate.lpks.org/BenFerguson.)