During World War II, the Republic of China’s mortal enemy, Japan, made tempting offers for a separate treaty which would have brought peace to China after many years of Japanese invasion. But this would also have freed Japanese divisions to fight against the United States in the Pacific and thereby increased the length and casualties of the war.
To its great credit, the Republic of China rejected these offers and stood loyally by its ally, the United States.
Now the situation is reversed and the Republic of China’s mortal enemy, Red China, is offering to make a deal with the United States. Unfortunately, there are disturbing signs that our State Department is planning to abandon our longtime faithful ally and allow it to fall victim to an invasion by Red China.
Red China is demanding that the United States (1) sever diplomatic relations with the Republic of China on Taiwan, (2) cancel our 1954 mutual defense treaty with it, and (3) remove our troops and military bases from Taiwan. And what do we get in return? Red China will deign to permit us to send an Ambassador to Peking. Period.
The United States has absolutely nothing to gain by acquiescing in such a deal. Red China can’t help us, can’t hurt us, and can’t afford to buy from us. Red China has nothing to sell that we need, and no money to buy what we have. The entire foreign trade of Red China with 800 million people is no more than that of the Republic of China on Taiwan with only 16 million people.
On the other hand, the United States has a great deal to lose by acquiescing in such a deal, namely, our moral integrity and our reputation as a reliable ally.
We’ve had a lot of talk about human rights this year. The Chinese Reds are the most inhumane regime in the history of the world, having killed some 60 million of their own people. This is why thousands of young Chinese try every year to escape by any possible means however dangerous, such as swimming to Hong Kong while dodging sharks and Red machine-gun fire.
Red China helped North Korea and North Vietnam kill more than 100,000 American servicemen during our wars in the Far East.
Acquiescing in the demands of the Red Chinese for diplomatic recognition on their terms would prove that aggression does pay, that all our talk about human rights is a fraud, and that it doesn’t pay to be an ally of the United States.
Secretary of State Cyrus Vance is planning to visit Peking in August and he has not said no to any of Red China’s demands. The head of our liaison office, Thomas S. Gates, Jr., who recently returned from Peking, has stated bluntly that “the Chinese conditions are not negotiable — not at all, not in the least respect.”
If the terms are not negotiable, why is Secretary Vance making the long, exhausting trip to Peking? The ominous inference is that he is going to tender a U.S. surrender to Red China’s impudent demands.
Secretary Vance could dispel that fear by scheduling a stop at Taiwan on the way. Unfortunately that is not likely. The State Department has already stopped calling the Republic of China by this name that it has been using for 60 years, and refers to it only as Taiwan.
The American people can scotch Vance’s proposed “normalization” of relations with Red China. Congress could refuse to appropriate funds to support an embassy in Peking. Congress could also resolve that any closure of our embassy in Taiwan would result in a cut in the State Department’s appropriation.
