French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin has endorsed the military annexation of Taiwan by the PRC and wants the EU to sell them the weapons to do it:
At the outset of a three-day visit to China, French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin said he supported Beijing’s “anti-secession” law on Taiwan, and vowed to keep pushing for an end to an EU arms embargo that could open the door for Paris to sell weapons to the Asian giant.
Raffarin also signed or finalized major business deals with Beijing valued at around $3.2 billion (2.4 billion euros).
Appearing to put his government at odds with the European Union, Raffarin said at the outset of the three day visit that Paris had no objections to the anti-secession law.
“The anti-secession law is completely compatible with the position of France,” he said in a joint press conference with his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao.
If France does something this massively stupid and irresponsible, and China invades Taiwan, they should be kicked out of the EU, their permanent seat on the UN Security Council revoked (along with China’s), and they should face severe economic sanctions. Prime Minister Raffarin has just stated that he’s pefectly fine with starting the next world war, and they’d love to sell the weapons needed to fight it.
I had some measure of respect for Raffarin, but this is warmongering pure and simple. The last thing China needs in a time when they’re awash in nationalist xenophobia is for some Eurocrat to offer them the means to start the next world war. If Chirac had any sense, he’d tell Raffarin to allez au diable and sack him immediately for this — but we all know that Raffarin is acting on Chirac’s orders, and as long as China’s ordering plenty of French Exocet missiles in which to attack Taiwanese, Japanese, and American ships, he doesn’t give a damn.
So Americans are stupid warmongers for taking out a brutal dictator, but it’s OK for France to sell weapons to a dictatorial regime that has just passed a law authorizing the military invasion of a neighboring democracy? Quelle hypocrisie!
If France cooperates in a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, the United States should consider them a beligerant in that conflict and take the appropriate action — including the interdiction and destruction of any weapons headed for China.
The government of France: collaborationists then — collaborationists now.
“If France cooperates in a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, the United States should consider them a beligerant in that conflict and take the appropriate action- including the interdiction and destruction of any weapons headed for China.”
Can’t we just lauch airstrikes on Paris?
Nice commentary Jay.
Well, you’ve gotta admit that selling arms to the Chinese does show some balls… and honestly, if they don’t, the Chinese will just build them themselves. Might as well make some profit off of it. I think we should open up the arms trade with them, it’d be good for the economy. 🙂
Summary of comments from media in China:
1. The most noticable feature of “anti-secession” law is that, Beijing has change her tone. Before the law, the term “one China” in Beijing’s one China policy is refer to PRC, but, in the “anti-secession” law, “one China” refer to a cultural an dhistorical China. This is a big change and substaintially reduce the chance of voilence in teh Taiwan strait.
2. Beijing has no ability nor willingness to lauch war against Taiwan, Japan or the US. Although the defense expanditure of Chinese government has increse sharply in recent years, the technological level remain very low. Beijing leaders have shown that they recognise this. War is not only about weapons, Beijing government has no such legitimacy to mobile the people (seeking stability is one of the deep rooted philosophy of teh Chinese) to go to war as so many year poor governance. The Beijing’s primary concern is not Taiwan, the primary concern is to maintain the momentum of development (the last thing can gain people’s legitimacy of its ruling), restructure its ental-local relationship (Unlike in teh Mao’s period, the PRC’s central government is lossing its control over local (provintional) governments and dealing with wide-spread corporation.
3. Even France do not sell weapons to China, PRC can obtain weapons with similar quality from Russia and East Europe, even in black markets.
In short, PRC is not able to launch a large military action in near future expect in the case Taiwan seeks official independence (it give the legitimacy to Beijing). France weapons will not increase the military power of Beijing much, they just reduce the Beijing’s reliance on Russia . Beijing just want teh EU recognise it as a “normal” member of the international community.Overall, France is a very smart businessman and do no leave its responsiblity.