Chinese air attack, holding hostages grounds for war

By Robert Davis
Skiff Staff

The recent downing of a U.S. Naval EP-3 surveillance aircraft and its crew of 24 American men and women by Chinese communist military forces is nothing short of an act of war. The aircraft was over international waters, and it was certainly not in a position to provoke armed aggression on the part of the Chinese communists.

Instead, the Chinese communist F-8 fighters intercepted it and warned the EP-3 crew that they were “extremely likely” to open fire on their plane, according to Taiwanese military intelligence sources. Furthermore, despite what the Chinese government claims, it seems quite logical that one of the F-8 fighters actually initiated the collision with the EP-3.

The latest news reports have indicated that in the past few weeks, several other EP-3 surveillance aircraft in the South China Sea area have been harassed by Chinese military jets flying around them. After all, the F-8s are far more maneuverable and faster than the larger, slower moving EP-3s. It is quite inconceivable that the larger American plane could bump into the F-8 fighter unless that fighter was way too close to begin with.

What I find most disturbing about this situation, however, is the Chinese government is holding the EP-3 crew in their custody, and it has only allowed U.S. officials to meet with the crew for less than 45 minutes. Typically, a country only holds another country’s military members in its custody during a time of war. To my knowledge, since we are not at war, China has no business holding any of our people hostage. I would like to call the 24-crew members prisoners of war, but alas, we are not at war.

Then again, there is a possibility the crew is being held as a bargaining chip to force the United States to extradite a recent Chinese defector. Senior Colonel Xu Junping, a former leader in the Former People's Liberation Army, defected to the United States late last year while visiting New York City. According to several intelligence experts, Junping’s defection has provided the United States with a vast amount of classified data regarding the PLA.

Nevertheless, in addition to Junping, the Chinese are quite upset at the possibility of the United States upgrading Taiwan’s defense systems with three new types of weapons. The Chinese government fears that arming Taiwan with anti-missile defense systems like the Aegis and PAC-3, as well as providing them new submarines, will allow Taiwan to combat any threat generated by China.

For some time now, China has been in a position to intimidate Taiwan, and these new weapon platforms from the United States could continue to secure Taiwanese independence from China. No matter what their intentions, the Chinese government is acting like a bunch of terrorists, and it should be dealt with accordingly.

My blood also boils when the Chinese communists call for an end to U.S. surveillance near China.Remember, they illegally gave money to the Democratic Party to influence the selling of critical technology (Loral, etc.) to enhance their war-making capabilities. Additionally, there is the well-known case of Chinese espionage at our own nuclear labs in Los Alamos, N.M. Moreover, as this is being written, it is being reported that the Chinese communists are stripping top-secret equipment from the aircraft.

Whether people wish to accept it or not, China is the No. 1 enemy of the United States. China, in fact, supplies sophisticated arms and technology to our other enemies like Iraq to upgrade their air defense systems. As China continues to grow both economically and in the size of its population, its military forces and weapons will equally multiply. In light of this, President George W. Bush needs to take a strong stance against China, and let it know we will not acquiesce to the demands of bullies.

Robert Davis is a senior computer science major from Garland.
He can be reached at (r.d.davis@student.tcu.edu).

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