In a move that was equivalent to throwing out food that is no longer edible, Taiwan's president Chen Shui-bian has given China the chance to get their panties all in a bunch again. (C'mon, you know they love it!)

It all has to do with that pesky National Unification Council (NUC) and the accompanying National Unification Guidelines (NUG), which were created back in the early 1990s during KMT rule. Never mind that the KMT-controlled legislature cut the NUC's annual budget down to NT$1,000 (about US$30) back in 2003 or that the group hasn't met since 1999.

Here's Chen's big crisis-inducing move:

President Chen Shui-bian of Taiwan announced Monday that he was scrapping the island's council and guidelines for any political unification with mainland China, but softened his rhetoric somewhat in response to heavy pressure from the United States and Beijing.

[...]

Chen declared in a televised address that the National Unification Council "ceases to function" and that Taiwan's National Unification guidelines "cease to apply." But having promised in his first inaugural address in 2000 that he would never "abolish" the council, Chen avoided repeating that term on Monday and used a slightly different term in Chinese to announce his decision to get rid of the council and transfer its staff to other activities.

He also promised not to change the existing relationship with mainland China.

(Note: that was written by Keith "Dime Novel" Bradsher, and the "slightly different term" Chen used was "終止 [zhong1 zhi3]." I just heard former ambassador to the PRC James Lilley on CNN saying that "in Chinese, it comes out stronger." He and Mike Chinoy are both fucking liars.)

I won't let you forget that whether he "abolished" the NUC or the NUG, "put them on hold," "gave them a few decades off," or "crushed them to death," Chen's pledge was based on this vital condition:

Therefore, as long as the CCP regime has no intention to use military force against Taiwan, I pledge that during my term in office, I will not declare independence, I will not change the national title, I will not push forth the inclusion of the so-called "state-to-state" description in the Constitution, and I will not promote a referendum to change the status quo in regards to the question of independence or unification. Furthermore, the abolition of the National Reunification Council or the National Reunification Guidelines will not be an issue.

You must remember this, a missile's not a kiss
I've written previously about how China was not only already in violation of that condition at the time President Chen made the pledge, and they have subsequently increased their threats against Taiwan via the "anti-secession" law (which "legislates" the arbitrary use of "non-peaceful means" against Taiwan) and the number of ever-growing number of missiles targeting us.

(Somehow, even Bradsher remembered to mention those things! To read more about China's ever-increasing threats against Taiwan, go back to my earlier post titled Speaking with clarity on Taiwan, and scroll down to "What kind of 'status quo' is this?")

Here's China's reaction to Chen's move, filled with the copy-and-paste propaganda phrases that normally accompany their tantrums:

"The further escalation of Taiwanese independence and secessionist activities, pushed by Chen Shui-bian, will no doubt cause a serious crisis," said a Chinese government statement.

China and Taiwan split amid civil war in 1949. Since then Beijing has used a blend of threats and diplomacy to bring the self-governing island back into its fold, including the passage of a law last March codifying the use of force if Taipei moves to institutionalize its de facto independence.

And then the Gerber flew.

Never mind that it wasn't "China and Taiwan" that split up in 1949, but rather China (the CCP) and the KMT (who fled to Taiwan). Never mind that it's not Chen, but rather the "anti-secession" law, the new missiles, and the meetings between China and the violent pan-blue opposition that have changed the so-called "status quo."

Somebody get Ma some paint remover!
Here's Ma "Don't Paint Me Red" Ying-jeou (through a spokesperson) once again doing a spot-on impression of the Chinese authorities in Beijing:

Opposition Kuomintang (KMT) leader Ma Ying-jeou will make a move to recall President Chen Shui-bian, Ma's spokeswoman [Cheng Li-wen] said yesterday, following Chen's announcement that a council for charting unification with the mainland will be scrapped.

[...]

"KMT chairman Ma Ying-jeou thinks President Chen has not only set a time table for extreme independence ... but has also taken concrete actions," Cheng told reporters.

"(Ma thinks) this seriously damages the status quo and is a threat to the national interest," she said.

[...]

"(Chen's) move will make the international community think we are trouble makers and we will not gain its sympathy," Cheng said.

Shorter Ma: If I don't get what I want, I'll tell my mommyland to punish you!

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Chutes and ladders: Taiwan, Chen Shui-bian, National Unification Guidelines, National Unification Council, Ma Ying-jeou, unificationists, Kuomintang, KMT, China, People's Republic of China, PRC, Taiwan Independence, Taidu, missiles, James Lilley, Mike Chinoy