The current spy hysteria against China is driven more by US domestic politics than US-China relations.
On the issue of Taiwan, China has very clear policies that are well known in diplomatic circles. China will not use force to reunify Taiwan except under one of the three conditions: 1) Taiwan moves towards independence, 2) Taiwan develops nuclear capability 3) Taiwan falls under foreign control.
China's recent opposition to the TDM (Theatre Defense Missile) proposal that links Japan, US and Taiwan is based on an US shift from an arms control regime specified in the ABM treaty, to which China is not a signatory but has tacitly accepted as operative US policy.
As with the Soviets during Cold War arms control negotiations, based on accepted strategic parity scholasticism, the US repeatedly arranged for or allowed the Soviets to receive indirect and covert aid in the development of nuclear arms technology and delivery systems to keep up the technological imperative in order to maintain the logic of parity in MIRV (Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicles) and sea-launched capabilities from submarines (SBLM). These systems are considered more stable as compared to silo killers and ABMs because they are targeted toward population rather than weapons and fit into the logic of MAD (Massive Mutual Assured Destruction). The desirability of Chinese getting MIRV capability has been upheld by a large segment of the US arms control establishment and, accordingly, security standards have been informally and quietly relaxed within this policy tilt, until now, when on the eve of an official visit to Washington by Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji, all kinds of sand are being thrown into the wheels of US-China relations for US domestic political reasons. Another argument for the Chinese to have American MIRV capability rather than Russian technology is that with American know-now, the US would be in a better position to monitor Chinese capability and to develop effective means to neutralize its destructive potential. Nightline had a special on the topic last evening (Friday). The poor scapegoat scientist who was fired 2 days after the N.Y. time first broke on the story on March 6 is from Taiwan, not the Chinese Mainland. Apparently, racist ethnic profile was more pertinent than internecine Taiwan/Beijing politics, despite the fact the most of the victims co-workers though he was innocent of the suspected violations which allegedly took place over 10 years ago under Regain.
Henry C.K. Liu