Washington Times - January 5, 2001

"Backtracking on China"

Pressure is mounting on President-elect George W. Bush to change his presidential campaign positions on China.

Pro-China national security aides want Mr. Bush to stop calling the communist government a strategic competitor — the major difference from the Clinton administration's questionable view of China as a strategic partner.

Mr. Bush supports the Taiwan Security Enhancement Act promoted by House and Senate conservatives and opposed by China and its U.S. supporters. But statements supporting the bill, which passed the House last year by a wide margin, quietly disappeared from the candidate's Internet site in the latter stages of the campaign.

Secretary of State-designate Colin Powell moved away from Mr. Bush's position in remarks made Dec. 16. Mr. Powell dropped the term "competitor" in referring to China. The change was noted by the Chinese government, which privately sent words of praise for the softer language, we are told.

Another influence is said to be CIA analyst Marty Peterson. A CIA China hand leading a team of CIA briefers camped out at a hotel in Austin, Texas, Mr. Peterson is providing Mr. Bush with daily intelligence briefings. He was identified to us as a key advocate of the China-is-not-a-threat theory that congressional Republicans have criticized. CIA officials vehemently denied the charge.