Relations between China and Russia warm

New York Post Online Edition: postopinion:

Until recently, the Sino-Russian strategic partnership has been a relatively hollow construct, confined to political rhetoric, trade and weapons sales. But after Putin's October visit, Chinese President Hu Jintao asserted that 'Sino-Russian strategic coordination has attained an unprecedented high level, ' while Putin proclaimed that the relationship had reached 'unparalleled heights.' For some time, there was broad agreement among foreign-policy elites that both Beijing and Moscow were more interested in developing good relations with Washington than with each other. This may no longer be the case. Recent developments indicate that the tectonic plates of Sino-Russian relations are shifting. We better pay attention.

In some ways, I view this as a good thing, while both Russia and China are, at best, strategic adversaries of the United States, the more they each are involved in the rest of the world the better of we are simply by virtue that engagement tends to be less dangerous than isolation. Further, the need to compete will cause both of these countries to inevitably, although perhaps slowly and perhaps in fits and starts, evolve toward a more free society. Nonetheless, the article is correct in pointing out that this is something we have to pay attention to. China wants, and needs, reunification with Taiwan and it would be easy for a horrible miscalculation to be made there. We need to make it clear to China that a military solution toward Tiawanese reunification will be met with unlimited American opposition. And yes, I believe that that should include nuclear weapons as an option. This is not to say that I want to nuke China, but we owe Taiwan, as a staunch ally, protection. That means any and all means necessary. I don't think we would need nukes to defend Tiawan. I hope we won't need anything at all because I hope China won't try anything. But should China conclude (rightly or wrongly) that they could conquer Tiawan in spite of the American conventional military, the knowledge that that is just the first obstacle might prevent them from making a mistake.