World Leaders Relieved at Missile Defense Shelving

ByABC News
September 2, 2000, 12:30 PM

Sept. 2 -- Traditional foes of the United States as well as longtime alliesexpressed relief and praise after President Clintons decision toshelve a national missile defense system, saying it was a sensiblemove that avoids jarring the international balance of power.

China offered understated praise today, describing Clintonsdecision as rational. Russian President Vladimir Putin was moredirect, calling it a well thought-out and responsible step.

Britain, France, Germany and Canada also weighed in, saying thepresident was wise not to rush into the project.

Clinton said Friday he is not convinced the technology is athand to build an effective anti-missile shield, and will leave it tothe next president to decide whether to deploy a national missiledefense system. Republican candidate George W. Bush supports rapiddeployment of the system; his opponent, Vice President Al Gore, hasbeen noncommittal.

Chinas Response Calm

China fiercely opposes the proposed shield as a security threatthat could force it to build more long-range nuclear missiles. However, thegovernments reaction today was surprisingly muted.

The decision is rational, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesmanZhu Bangzao said in a statement carried by the official Xinhua NewsAgency. We hope that the U.S. government will have more contactand discussions with other countries on the matter, so as to make adecision which could serve the interests of countries and peoplesall over the world.

China fears a U.S. missile shield would undermine its limitedlong-range nuclear deterrent, and that it could be extended toshield Taiwan, which separated from Beijing amid civil war 51 yearsago.

Relief in Moscow, Regret in Taiwan

The Taiwanese government did not immediately react to Clintonsdecision. However, lawmaker Lee Wen-chung, a member of PresidentChen Shui-bians party, said the move was regrettable and he hopedthe new U.S. president would push the program forward moreaggressively.