On September 22nd, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said that someday the Chinese missiles based opposite Taiwan, and aimed at targets in Taiwan, will be removed. Wen also said relations are as good as they have ever been and should continue to focus on economics. Taiwan President Ma Ying Jeou welcomed Premier Wen’s statement. Chinese leaders rarely talk about military matters, and Wen’s statement is as much a reminder of China’s present capability to strike Taiwan with 1,000 or more ballistic missiles as it is a promise to withdraw them in the future. Evidently Wen’s condition for removing the missiles was not reported in Taiwan; that condition is reunification.

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