Our China tilt
Kovler, Peter
the term "liberation theology," and developed his own formu- tragically, this is apparent in the U.S. reaction to the lation in dialogue with, rather than opposition to, the Latin ...
...The only possible interpretation of this event 16 March 1979: 133 is that from the Chinese viewpoint, Blumenthal is even less has acted with great restraint...
...In considering the issue of withdrawal, the U.S...
...If he looked carefully at But this attitude has mostly given way to a pro-China position...
...continues to impose a trade Nation and other journals...
...confident about what he would say...
...With that development, a local discover...
...has not used its brilliant as he may be, to address the elusive issue which is at considerable influence to help bring peace...
...Since the invasidn the human person, pnderstood in the light of the Gospel, and administration has, again, expressed its disapproval while above all in view of injustices which oppress the individual reiterating the call for Vietnamese forces to leave Cambodia...
...evidence is now somewhat sketchy and circumstantial, one has Sadly, however, that is not the way the administration views to wonder at the coincidence of the U.S...
...should support them...
...He has served as legislative assisembargo and will not normalize...
...decisions, still the U.S...
...Vietnam, there would at least be a chance that-as in the But what is most crucial is that, to borrow a phrase from Mideast-the U.S...
...off talks with Vietnam while, simultaneously, opening up PETER KOVLER relations with China...
...attitude seems to be that there is really practical success: the rendering of economic and social nothing disastrous if one Communist country fights another...
...now, to most of the world it appears that the two superpowers The real reason for this may be something for historians to have each taken one side...
...today, makes special demands on Christians as they participate In fact, our State Department has expressed so much disapin public life...
...If the administration Blumenthal's trip came from Sen...
...the crowds in Mexico he must have seen that many women had When Teng Hsiao-ping visited here in January, the warnmore children than they could feed or care for...
...For have had to go to the only ones offering assistance, the Rus- instance, leading the attempts to make the UN consider the war sians...
...has again portrayed itself as disinterested and evenhanded...
...The writes it, we have some suggestions: (1) The language should administration's attitude is often reminiscent of the view tobe clear and direct, not the usual Vaticanese designed to ward Mafia wars where there is a platitudinous pronouncement obscure rather than reveal the papal mind...
...The clear With Vietnam, the U.S...
...Finally, the Carter administration has failed to give credit NEGOTIATIONS are underway to form Italy's 37th govwhere it is deserved-to the Russians...
...Whereas six months ago suring...
...As it is administration...
...he is a paper tiger critic...
...Either nor- conflict takes on the possibility of becoming a worldwide one...
...It's a mistake to believe that in East Asia there are them to oppose the U.S...
...consequence, the U.S...
...He says, in effect, that the message of maintaining an evenhanded approach in these "Communist Christ is meant to liberate man-the whole human person, not wars," the Carter administration has tilted toward China...
...By the time he departed from Japan, deep popular desire for some living example of how the riches few doubted that war was close...
...More, the administration has Sino-Soviet fight...
...Indeed, abortion, it must open the door to family planning...
...As the Vice-Premier made his way and distribution of its own investments and wealth...
...Does the U.S...
...But at present there are two theories...
...grave concern at the continued detention of tens of thousands A second policy which indicates the China tilt by the U.S...
...official to Peking seems only to send for example, Amnesty International reports that "there is still another warning signal to a dangerously troubled region...
...2) He should to stop the killing but where, in truth, there is indifference: Let discuss the status of women (although at this stage we are not "them" kill "them"-as long as they don't come near "us...
...Everyone knew that Teng wanted columnists...
...reaction to the lation in dialogue with, rather than opposition to, the Latin Vietnam-Cambodia and Vietnam-China wars...
...3) Finally, there have even been reports, although unconfirmed, that the if the church is to gain long-range credibility as friend of the U.S...
...Even though the friends with China but we should also be friends with Vietnam...
...If the U.S...
...With China, however, trade tant and speech writer for several Washington political figand diplomatic relations obviously could not be better...
...infatuation with the People's Republic...
...Charles Mathias (R...
...Most visibly and upsetting China...
...directly...
...has snubbed Vietnam, it has meant that they tionably, in some small ways the U.S...
...continues to tilt toward China it can only make intervening period an anti-Vietnam mood prevailed in the Southeast Asia look like even more of a tinderbox...
...The be in order...
...The Communist war If the U.S...
...But whatever the reason, one thing is (Peter Kovler has written for the New York Times...
...It seems to us ings of an imminent Chinese invasion were so blatant that even that if the church is to hold credibility in its fight against a casual newspaper reader could have picked them up...
...For years I have looked forward to U.S.-China trade but the stalling of trade could have been used as a lever to slow down the war and make the Chinese get out of OUR CHINA 'TILT' Vietnam...
...Admittedly, Blumenthal has criticized his hosts for their "transA F'rER A LIFETIME of criticizing a United States policy gression...
...Mary- were really evenhanded (instead of still trying to seem tough land): "The Soviets may believe the U.S...
...But be- another Vietnam war, there should be "peace now...
...That is, if Vietnam were to go along with the U.S...
...face," it is a pleasant surprise that the Russians have not come Perhaps the most perspicacious comments on Secretary to the aid of Hanoi by attacking China...
...eagerly sends Treasury Secretary HOW ABOUT 'PEACE NOW...
...but this consistent interest may well indicate a to "punish" Vietnam...
...position and withdraw from Cambodia, TRYING FOR NUMBER 37 doubtless the group returning to power would be Pol Pot's...
...As everyone tries to "save than a paper tiger...
...could bring the parties together...
...Instead of American theologians...
...The minority government which depended on support Commonweal: 134...
...Or, perhaps, it was made relinquish partisanship for true evenhandedness: We should be part of the U.S.-China normalization deal...
...Christ teaches, he said, "a beginnings of World War III," the U.S...
...has since the change of Government in what was formerly South misunderstood (for a change) the Vietnamese and has invited Vietnam...
...Secretary," he continued," has become part of the administra- I do not mean to suggest that the Vietnamese are pacifistic tion's misplayed `China card.' The administration's decision angels, the "victims" of "imperialistic" China and that, as a to go ahead with (his) trip to China is a serious mistake...
...On human rights, Dispatching a senior U.S...
...really want to see those bloodthirsty tyrants STALEMATE IN ITALY back in charge...
...proval that they are almost believable...
...has tended to act as a special sensitivity toward man, toward human dignity, toward partisan rather than a neutral force which would mediate...
...human life, toward spirit and body...
...malizing relations with Vietnam just "fell through the cracks" But the U.S...
...ernment has managed to be publicly critical without in any way policymakers have, in a sense, overdone it...
...But, in truth, such words are as meaningful as when the State Department in another era in Southeast Asia "disapproved" of Thieu's harsh regime...
...has erred...
...Patrick violence inflicted by man against the body, the spirit, the Moynihan (D...
...effectively breaking the Vietnam war...
...of people who, so far as is known, have not been charged with has been the way we have acted toward Vietnam...
...supernatural" destiny-from all forms of evil: from, as John Nevertheless, one main result has been to somewhat aggraPaul said recently, "every social injustice, discrimination, vate tensions in Southeast Asia...
...just the "soul," as if religion were concerned only with man's Perhaps without even meaning to do it, the U.S...
...Indeed, if one of the most strategic bases in pledged not to get militarily involved...
...refuse to take offense ward position, at least for the moment, of disliking the at the criticism...
...govnormalization was proper, sane and decades overdue, U.S...
...has pushed for this...
...gave the Vice- toward the Russians for the sake of not appearing too dovish as Premier a `green light' for his attack on Vietnam, and China it prepares to sell the SALT treaty), the congratulations would may feel it can do anything and not risk our criticism...
...among others, has called the "possible conscience or human conviction...
...While the USSR has ernment since the war following the collapse of the acted brutally in Eastern Europe and while it has been trying to all-Christian Democrat government led by Giulio Anexpand its power in parts of Africa, in Southeast Asia, so far, itdreotti...
...we were close to normalizing relations with Hanoi, in the If the U.S...
...While the Chinese value formalities and courtesies, the U.S...
...ures...
...Blumenthal to Peking for economic talks with his hosts...
...the heart of both the Gospel and the church's official teaching, This is not to say that U. S. policy has been gung ho Chinese...
...4) Perhaps he should call it In response, President Carter is supposed to have told Teng Personae Humane Dignitas, and begin: "The dignity of the that he disapproved of any "incursion...
...By treating any offense . . . (they are still in camps) more than three years their country during the war as a Soviet satellite, the U.S...
...For all the emphasis that has been put on how current U.S...
...who has publicly suggested otherwise), given the way our But even before the China invasion, U.S.-Vietnam policy Presidents have acted in Southeast Asia, it is somewhat reashad taken a terrible turn for the worse...
...But one must hope that the administra- Report from Italy tion is not entirely serious on this matter when one considers what the results would probably be...
...of the earth should be used...
...But if he action nor the threat of action to support the rhetoric...
...In battles which Sen...
...While it would be pure thoughtless anti-Americanism to blame It might be too early in his reign for this Pope, even as the fighting on U.S...
...were really sincere, it would have used real pressure on the Chinese...
...But on the whole our moves have not been so sound...
...justice-especially when, in so many places, the other great Even though the State Department has called for both China social encyclicals, Quadragessimo Anno, Pacem in Terris and and Vietnam to stop their fighting, there has been neither Populorum Progressio, were whispers in the wind...
...Even if this seems like Asia, Cam Ranh Bay, becomes a port for the Soviets, the U.S...
...an empty gesture (after all, there isn't one person in the world will have only itself to blame...
...could work meaningfully for peace if it would when China normalization began...
...But to quote Washington Star reporter Lee Cohn which shunted China aside, this reporter is in the awk- who is in Peking, "Chinese leaders...
...Instead, the U.S...
...had relations with "good guys" and "bad guys...
...In turn, this has meant that they have become part of the has been a good decision...
...and one with which the church has had the least obvious At times the U.S...
...was told there would be an invasion which would last poor, it must develop and publish policies on the management from ten to twenty days...
...As a result, normalization was dispensed with...
...Unquescause the U.S...
...We know West, his verbal attacks on Vietnamese "hegemonism" bethat this is the favorite "Catholic" topic of novelists and came increasingly ominous...
...Territorial boundaries should unquestionably be observed, goes the administration's thinking...
Vol. 106 • March 1979 • No. 5
