Rummy Speaks Out and Pulls No Punches

At the Asian Security Conference Donald Rumsfeld cut loose at both China and al-Jazeera.

AP reports:

Pentagon chief Donald H. Rumsfeld said Saturday that U.S. pressure for political and economic change in China is not intended to undermine the Beijing government.

He criticized China for increasing military spending despite the absence of a threat from another country and said the Asian power risks diminishing its global influence unless it opens up its political system.

Political and economic freedom are in China's best interests, the U.S. defense secretary said.

....

Conveying a hard line from the Bush administration, Rumsfeld used his keynote speech to challenge China's military buildup and urge political change.

"Economic success depends on increasingly freer economic systems. That will put pressure on a political system that is less free," Rumsfeld said. "The task for China is to resolve that issue."

In later discussions he expanded on the point.

Rumsfeld said he does not think any country threatens China and that the U.S. does not view China as a threat. But he did question why China has stationed hundreds of missiles within range of Taiwan.

"I just look at the significant rollout of ballistic missiles opposite Taiwan and I have to ask the question: If everyone agrees the question of Taiwan is going to be settled in a peaceful way, why this increase in ballistic missiles opposite Taiwan?" Rumsfeld said.

Rummy's right. China's military buildup is a matter for concern not just on Taiwan, but throughout East Asia. The US cannot afford to look with equanimity upon the aggressive implications of Chinese military development.

Of course, China responded negatively to Rumsfeld's remarks.

Cui Tiankai, the director of the Asia bureau of China's foreign ministry, said:

Since the U.S. is spending a lot more money than China is doing on defense, the U.S. should understand that every country has its own security concerns and every country is entitled to spend money necessary for its own defense.

Rumsfeld also criticized China's performance with regard to North Korea.

Turning his attention to North Korea, Rumsfeld said China is in the best position to persuade the North Koreans to return to six-nation talks about its nuclear weapons program. Nearly a year has passed since North Korea, which has said its possesses nuclear weapons, last participated in the talks.

Not content with aggravating China, Rummy also turned his guns on al Jazeera

Rumsfeld said Al-Jazeera, the Qatar-based pan-Arab television network, promoted terrorism by airing beheadings and other attacks. He said the station provides a platform for Muslim extremists and that the U.S. has a hard time combating terrorists' claims. "Governments have to be accurate. Extremists don't," he said.

Rummy elaborated:

"If anyone here lived in the Middle East and watched a network like Al-Jazeera day after day after day, even if you were an American you would begin to believe that America was bad," Rumsfeld told an Asian defense conference.

"Quite honestly, I do not get up in the morning and think that America is what's wrong with the world. The people that are going on television, chopping off people's heads is what's wrong with the world.

"And television networks that carry it and promote it and are Johnny-on-the-spot every time there's a terrorist act are promoting it," he said.

Not very diplomatic, but some things have to be said, and who better to say them than Rummy?

Read about it here and here.