Since the downing of the U.S. EP-3 surveillance plane, senior U.S. officials say it’s time to “draw some red lines” around Beijing. What’s more, a tilt to Taiwan has the near-solid support of conservative think tanks, from which Bush is picking his team. The evenhanded policy of the past made sense when China and Taiwan were dictatorships committed to blurring their differences, the Bushies reason. But now Taiwan is a democracy, and Beijing flaunts its determination to take the island by force if necessary. In these circumstances, White House thinking goes, uncertainty about U.S. intentions invites miscalculation by China’s military.
Bush’s announcement also signals a shift gathering momentum in U.S. defense circles. While America’s military remains focused mainly on Europe, “the threats are in Asia,” a Pentagon report concluded last year. Under Bush, Asia will now have a higher place on the U.S. strategic agenda.
