China Plays Down General's Nuclear Remarks

This is interesting. Either a Chinese general went off the reservation and spouted utter nonsense that that government is officially backing away from OR he let the cat out of the bag way too soon and said government is trying to spin this away from their actual plans. What I'm thinking is that somewhere in Beijing there sits a Dick Cheney, a Don Rumsfeld and Paul Wolfowitz whom are telling President Hu Jintao that now is the time to clip the wings of the American Eagle and take their rightful place as the worlds leading superpower. However, I'm equally sure there's a lot of Chinese officials saying, "Look, let's just skip the whole war thing and make money." Gravity may be pulling China and the US together in conflict but money tends to have a strange, euphoric effect on people. Trade and development is the ecstasy of the global community as it makes everyone love one another for the expressed purpose of making more dough. Here's hoping I'm right:

Beijing has played down remarks by a senior Chinese general who warned of a nuclear response in the event of a conflict with the United States over Taiwan. The Chinese government reiterated that the military officer was expressing personal views.

Gen. Zhu Chenghu, who is also attached to China's National Defense University, was quoted as telling reporters last week that his country was determined to respond if necessary, and he referred to the resulting destruction of hundreds of cities in China and the U.S.

Zhu said at the time he was giving his own assessment, not government policy, and he also said he did not anticipate that the two countries would go to war.

The official Xinhua news agency quoted an unnamed foreign ministry official as saying Zhu's remarks were his "personal views."

Beijing's stance with regard to Taiwan was consistent and clear, he said.

"We will firmly abide by the principles of peaceful reunification ... and exert the greatest efforts to realize peaceful reunification."

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