A great disucssion going on here. Although I don't claim to be an expert on Chinese strategic or other policies, nor claim that I know about the things being discussed, I couldn't resist sharing my views on the topic. Since I only read the original posting and some of some sensible posters' comments here and there, I am only posting my comments on the original post. -- You have to understand the reason that led to the diplomat's outburst. Taiwan is a sensetive issue in China and the Chinese governmnet takes this issue very seriously. For the Chinese governmnet and the Chinese people, Taiwan was, and is, a province of China. Any country that directly or indirectly supports Taiwan's independence is obviously not seen favorably by the 1.3 billion people. American stance on Taiwan raises a lot of suspicion in China, and for obvious reasons. First and foremost is the cold war ear Taiwan Relations Act. This act is in stark contrast to the Shanghai Communique of 1972. On the one hand, America has opposed the Taiwanese rulers' particlaury of that of Chen Suibian's drive towards independence, however, on the other hand, its not leting Taiwan and the Mainland unite by supplying high-tech weapons to Taiwan and by enmeshing the Taiwan issue with the US-Japan security pact. Iin this context, the Chinese reaction is to buy arms and moderenize its military is only natural. Although the possibility and probability of America and China going to war over Taiwan or Taiwan declaring independence and America endorsing it are next to none, nonetheless both nations involved (and Japan) have to be on guard for any hyothetical scenario turning into reality. What is ommitted in that article is why the Chinese people take Taiwan so seriously. More than any other issues, the issue of territorial integrity dominates the entire Chinese population's view on Taiwan. From 1840 to 1945, China was weak and lost its territories to the imperialist European powers and then to the highly racially- nationalist and imperialist Japan. The sense of national humiliation these imperial misadventures instilled in the Chinese mind is yet to be fully erased. One can say, the republican movement of 1911, the nationalist movement of 1919 and the success of Chinese revolution in 1949 had, among other reasons, terretorial integrity and strengthening of China (qiang guo meng) as their main aims. Now that Hong Kong and Macau have returned to China, the Chinese people aspire to get Taiwan back so that the national unification that started from 1920s under Chiang kai-Shek (historical irony?) can be realized. Now when the Chinese economy is booming and China is rising up and taking its "right place in the family of nations," it is inconceviable (sp?) that China and the Chinese people letting America or any other country thwart their national and natural aspiration of unification. OK this much for now.