The New York Times stumbles on the truth even in the middle of a piece that basically oohs and aahs over Beijing, depicts Hu Jintao as a great guy, and makes a simplistic mess of the Taiwan-Japan-China nexus. Hooray for Hu, it says, he's making friends with the neighbors before the Olympics! Oh, please.
Still, in the middle of the article's "analysis" (I hesitate to use the word) of China's Taiwan policy, not even the Hu cheerleaders can deny this:
"Under Mr. Hu’s leadership, the Chinese government has worked to strengthen the political position of the Kuomintang in Taiwan while weakening that of the Democratic Progressive Party."
My total dislike and distrust of the KMT, past and present, is abundantly on record. As for Ge-Ge's standard and despicable behavior . . . Did anyone have any doubts that Beijing is busy trying to undermine independent, sovereign Taiwan at every turn?
I am NOT convinced by Hu's supposedly "kinder, gentler" approach to Taiwan. Is there an iron fist in that velvet glove? What do 1000+ missiles on the Chinese coastline tell you? For all China's propagandistic babbling about a "harmonious society," I'm a cold-eyed realist, and its Olympic sloganeering about "One World, One Dream" isn't a dream about free societies and civil liberties. Take a look at the pieces of the world where Beijing's influence is strong: China protecting the thugocracies in Zimbabwe and Darfur, China rolling over Tibet, China frustrating Hong Kong's desire for democracy. What a world, indeed. This isn't even looking at China itself, where the vast rural areas are simmering with poverty and discontent, dissidents disappear, and media censorship is widespread.
As for Taiwan proper, the article quotes one Western diplomat who has this piquant observation:
“The way that China deals with Taiwan will assuage or fuel anxiety over the way China deals with the other neighbors."
Taiwan as canary? Well, that's just great. Because back in the days of the coal mine canaries, how'd you know if you were in a dangerous spot? When your canary more or less fell over stone cold dead.
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