World Leaders Relieved at Missile Defense Shelving
Sept. 2 -- Traditional foes of the United States as well as longtime alliesexpressed relief and praise after President Clinton’s 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 Clinton’sdecision 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.
China’s Response Calm
China fiercely opposes the proposed shield as a security threatthat could force it to build more long-range nuclear missiles. However, thegovernment’s 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 Clinton’sdecision. However, lawmaker Lee Wen-chung, a member of PresidentChen Shui-bian’s party, said the move was regrettable and he hopedthe new U.S. president would push the program forward moreaggressively.