China and Taiwan

In “China’s White Paper: Threat or Overture?” (Commentary, March 6), Jonathan Pollack stated that the document carries more carrots than sticks, that it is not directed toward the U.S. and that Taiwan’s international status is negotiable.

Pollack’s analyses are disappointingly misleading. The sticks are the use of military force, which is never made clear in Pollack’s article. The missiles launched into the Taiwan Strait in 1996 were also directed at Taiwan, not the U.S. The final point is even more ridiculous. If Taiwan’s position in the world is indeed negotiable, then why would Communist China still need the “sticks,” the use of military force?

Only firm responses will deter an authoritarian regime from messing up the world. After all, the peace process in Northern Ireland was stalled by the IRA’s unwillingness to disarm. Negotiating with a person bringing arms (the sticks) to the table never makes sense to me.

DER-YUAN YANG

Goleta