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Arms Sales to China: Are They Worth It?
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11297 |
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Section : |
CURRENT ISSUES
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| Issue
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5 / 1986 |
958 Words |
| Author
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John F. Copper
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The Reagan administration recently proposed the sale of $550 million in avionics to China to upgrade that country's air force fleet of F-8 fighter planes to have all-weather capabilities. The logic behind the sale is simple: Improved U.S.-China relations will put pressure on the Soviet Union to act more accommodatingly with regard to issues of mutual interest and less belligerently in the international arena.
In at least three ways, however, the deal doesn't make sense. First, the underlying presumption of this argument is that better relations with a stronger China (which then can be parlayed into the "China card") will induce the Soviet Union to behave more moderately and rationally and to seek improved ties with the United States. The end result would be, not surprisingly, a more peaceful world.
It is questionable what effect the sale will have on Moscow however, inasmuch as the notion of Chinese fighter planes with all-weather capabilities isn't something that will worry the Kremlin very much. They could be used against Soviet forces attacking at night with similar planes, but that isn't likely.
If the planes were used by China to attack the Soviet Union (which they certainly could be) it might provoke a much more serious conflict between the two than the United States considers to be in this nation's interest. While the United States might avoid being drawn into a nuclear slugfest between China and the Soviet Union, the jet stream would see to it that much of the radioactive fallout from the Asian continent would be carried to the United States. (When China conducted some of its nuclear tests radioactive fallout blew over the United States, resulting in a quickly perceivable rise in the number of stillborn babies in certain areas of the country.
It might help to examine the record of what has happened when the United States played the "China card" in the past. When the United States warmed up to Beijing in the 1970s, the Soviet Union promptly increased its military aid to Vietnam and the United States eventually lost the war as well as much of Southeast Asia. Subsequently, improved relations between the United States and China led to a Soviet treaty with Vietnam, which enabled the latter to invade and occupy Kampuchea. Similarly, the announcement of U.S. intelligence bases in China (to spy on the Soviet Union) was followed by Moscow's invasion of Afghanistan.
Sold down the river
One might argue that it makes more sense (since the Soviet Union has sufficient nuclear weapons to blow up the planet and China doesn't) to sell the Chinese down the river for better relations with Moscow. At least this is one "peaceful" alternative.
Also, the sale of U.S. military hardware gives China an important capability it has not had vis-à-vis Taiwan. The balance of power which is undoubtedly a deciding factor in the relative peace that has existed in the Taiwan Strait for many years may be upset by such a sale.
Taiwan's air force is aging and while its fighter jets have all-weather capabilities they are far outnumbered by China's fleet. Now, with a better plane in Chinese hands Taiwan will lose its deterrence capabilities. If
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