Pat Buchanan on China
Supported opening in 1970s, but situation has changed
With regard to my old colleague Henry Kissinger, I’m one of 10 surviving members of that official delegation, that opened up the PRC, and where I break with Mr. Kissinger is this: When we went to China, we were trying to get our men out of Vietnam, and
the Chinese military was positioned all along the Soviet border. Now all those Chinese forces have been moved [to threaten] our friends on Taiwan and against our country. And the weapons are being bought to fight a war against a naval power in the
western Pacific, the United States. When I saw this redeployment, I said, ‘It is time the US stopped building up this--what could be this Frankenstein monster and took a hard look at what they’re doing.’ They persecute Christians. They persecute
dissidents. They threaten our country. What in heaven’s name are we doing giving them a $ 70 billion trade surplus every single year when they’re using it to buy weapons to threaten our men and women?
Source: National Public Radio interview, “Talk of the Nation”
May 30, 2000
China trade pact is a complete sellout
Buchanan branded the Clinton Administration’s trade deal with China a “complete sellout.” Buchanan said the agreement, reached on Nov. 15,
would continue a move toward world government at the expense of American workers. He said the minute he is elected president, “the new world order crashes.”
Source: Boston Globe, p. A6, “Political Briefs”
Nov 17, 1999
Don’t aggravate Beijing, but don’t appease
US policy toward China should be neither to aggravate bor to appease Beijing. But allowing China to run near $60 billion annual trade surpluses at our expense, while we guarantee low-interest loans to Beijing from the World Bank, is appeasement.
American imports and investments there are financing military forces that may one day threaten Asia and the US fleet. As trade and aid have not made China more reasonable, the US should treat China as the Great Power rival it claims to be.
Source: “A Republic, Not an Empire,” p.376-7
Oct 9, 1999
Impose tariffs on China; end World Bank loans
Beijing does not deserve the same preferential treatment as Britain. The US should negotiate a reciprocal treaty with China that imposes on its goods at least the same tariffs and taxes Beijing
imposes on ours, and we should veto any additional World Bank and Asian Development Bank loans to China. These are nothing but foreign aid.
Source: “A Republic, Not an Empire,” p.377
Oct 9, 1999
Support Free Asia with materiel but no troops
So long as the US guarantees the security of the nations of Free Asia, they, like Europeans, will never undertake to provide for, or to pay for, their own defense. The US should thus unilaterally declare in force the Nixon Doctrine: in future Asian wars,
America will provide the weapons of defense for free nations, but Asian soldiers, sailors, and airmen must do the fighting. As the century closes, we should end our role as a front-line fighting state in Asia, and become Free Asia’s arsenal of democracy.
Source: “A Republic, Not an Empire,” p.376
Oct 9, 1999
Truculent but contained China is no threat
As China has grown powerful, it has grown truculent. Beijing has disrupted Taiwan’s elections, invaded offshore islands, sold missiles to Iran, sold nuclear technology to Pakistan, and persecuted Christians, Tibetans, and dissidents. Yet, despite its
bellicosity, China does not today threaten any vital US interest, & its emergence as a world power need not mean inevitable conflict. For China is already contained - by geography. [The only likely point of conflict without] a blue-water fleet. is Taiwan
Source: “A Republic, Not an Empire,” p.374
Oct 9, 1999
Provide Taiwan with defensive weapons against China
We should provide Taiwan with all the defensive weapons it needs to stave off any potential attack by Communist China. I don’t believe there’s going to be a cross-channel invasion. I do believe you could have trouble with the offshore islands of Quemoy &
Matsu. I do believe we should stand behind Taiwan. And I don’t believe we should appease China. I think the US should back up Taiwan. But I would not automatically commit this country to go to war with China over some collision in the Taiwan Straits.
Source: Interview on “Meet the Press”
Sep 12, 1999
Match 100% tariffs from Japan & China
Today, we let Japan and China to run up a combined annual trade surplus of $120 billion, blithely allowing them open access to our markets while we pay up to 100% tariffs for entry into theirs. By equalizing tariffs so that imported goods carry the same
tax as American-made products, we can end the exploitation of US workers, and fund flatter taxes for families, fairer competition for business, and renewed economic liberty for all Americans.
Source: (Cross-ref from Free Trade & Immigration) www.GoPatGo.org/ “
Jun 14, 1999
China: Shame the regime & end trade concessions
We must neither ignore nor isolate China, but we cannot embrace as a “strategic partner” an expansionist power that perverts our elections, plunders our nuclear arsenal, and targets our cities. China’s ongoing oppression of women, Christians, Tibetans &
political dissidents is an affront to American values, but [we appease them] instead of shaming the regime. We have mollified China by allowing Beijing to run up a $274 billion trade surplus, but we still permit the purchase of our latest technology.
Source: www.GoPatGo.org/ “Issues: China: Our MFN?”
Jun 12, 1999
China: End MFN; veto WTO entry; block technology
As President I will:- Call on Congress to suspend MFN until China closes its concentration camps, stops coercive abortions, and ceases the persecution of its people.
- Block the transfer of any new high-tech military technology.
- Require that
all Chinese imports are taxed at the same rate China imposes on goods from the US.
- Maintain economic leverage over Beijing by rejecting admission of China to the World Trade Organization.
Source: www.GoPatGo.org/ “Issues: China: Our MFN?”
Jun 12, 1999