A "Hotline to deal with military crisis" was set up between
high-level officials of Taiwan army and the Pentagon in the latter
half of 2002, disclosed a consultant with US think-tank Rand
Corp.
The report about the hotline on Taiwan's United Daily
News (UDN) September 15 further proves US-Taiwan military
cooperation has gradually moved from previous US arms sales to
tactics cooperation and strategic alliance.
When asked to comment on the hotline at a regular press
conference on September 16, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong
Quan reiterated that the Chinese side always resolutely opposed any
US-Taiwan military contacts and links.?
Kong also firmly demanded that the US side to earnestly keep its
promises of adhering to the one-China policy, strictly observing
the Three Sino-US Joint Communiques and opposing Taiwan
independence.
According to the UDN report, the US got the idea to set up a
military hotline in the 1996 Taiwan Straits crisis.?
The plan for establishment of this hotline began in the 1996
Taiwan Straits crisis, a Taiwan official was quoted as saying by
UDN. The basic idea came from the United States, not Taiwan, added
the official.
In 1996, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) held a large-scale
military exercise in the Taiwan Straits and launched
surface-to-surface ballistic missiles. The then US Clinton
administration dispatched two aircraft carrier fleets to the open
seas of eastern Taiwan.
After the eruption of the crisis, the US military strongly felt
the lack of links and an emergency mechanism between themselves and
Taiwan authorities. They proposed that the White House, while
strengthening military exchanges with Taiwan, set up a "US-Taiwan
military hotline", patterned on the hotline the United States
established with the Chinese mainland.?
In the fall of 1996, this idea was put forward on US initiative
at the "Monterey Talks" (the second channel of Taiwan-US military
cooperation), aimed to cope with "contingency" and "emergency"
events, a US military personage not to be identified told the
UDN.
The method of communication was a special telephone line. Taiwan
army was asked to timely notify the US of the situation in the
Taiwan Straits and the movements of Taiwan armed forces.
However, after the then Taiwan leader Lee Teng-hui and Yin
Tsung-wen, "Secretary-general of National Security Committee"
learned of US proposal, they hoped that this hotline could be
upgraded from the military level to the "government level" in an
attempt to develop substantive "diplomatic relations" with the US
government while getting US military protection.
As Clinton was afraid that the US-Taiwan "government hotline"
would provoke the Chinese government and influence the US-China
relationships, the then US president clearly said "NO" to the
Taiwan authorities after knowing Lee's response, the Rand
consultant revealed.?
The United States decided that the "Monterey Talks" should
include topic merely on military affairs, and US-Taiwan hotline be
limited to military exchanges.
Lee Teng-hui, however, thought that the US would finally agree
to set up a "government hotline", so he gave the US proposal a
"cold treatment". The US-Taiwan military hotline issue was thus put
aside.
Under the arrangement, it is the Taiwan military that report to
the US about the situation in the Taiwan Straits and the military
movement in the Chinese mainland via the hotline.
However, since George W. Bush became US President, the US-Taiwan
military exchanges and cooperation not only have been expanded in
area, but also have been upgraded in level. In March 2003, the
US-Taiwan "Defense Summit" was held in Florida, US, and Taiwan's
"Minister of Defense" Tang Yao-ming and US Deputy Defense Secretary
Paul Wolfowitz were present at the meeting. At the summit, the US
side again raised the issue concerning the establishment of a
military hotline.
After returning to Taiwan, Tang made a report to the high-level
officials of Taiwan authorities. With approval from Chen Shui-bian,
Taiwan army began to set up the "military hotline" connecting the
US Defense Department. After Taiwan's "Vice-Minister of Defense"
Kang Ning-hsiang accepted the "official invitation" from US
Department of Defense and visited the Pentagon in September 2002,
the US-Taiwan military hotline was officially opened.
After the opening of the hotline, both sides have tested it many
times to ensure the smooth operation of the hotline. According to
insiders, under general circumstances, it is Taiwan army that
reports to the United States the situation in the Taiwan Straits,
Taiwan military exercises and the mainland's military trends
mastered by them; Sometimes US Defense Department also gets
information about Taiwan army via the hotline.
In order to avoid provoking the Chinese mainland and influencing
the trend of improving Sino-US relations, the United States asks
Taiwan authorities not to give away any relative information.
However, this secret hotline was finally brought to light, which
attracted the attention from all walks of life in Taiwan. Media
inside and outside the Island not only reported this matter, but
also kept a close watch on the "Ministry of Defense". US-Taiwan
exchanges are proceeding normally within the framework of the
Taiwan Relations Act, Huang Suey-sheng, spokesman for Taiwan's
"Ministry of Defense", said on September 16 when questioned closely
by the media. However, he avoided answering the question concerning
whether or not there are military exchanges and cooperation and a
US-Taiwan hotline.
(China Daily September 28, 2003)