China Threat to Attack Taiwan Alarms Asia

(03-14) 06:42 PST TOKYO, Japan (AP) --

China's threat Monday to oppose Taiwanese independence with military force triggered a call for peaceful dialogue from Japan and a discussion of Australia's treaty obligations should a war break out. But Russia and Pakistan supported Beijing's new legislation.

"I want the two sides to work hard toward a peaceful solution, so there will not be any negative impact," said Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, whose government recently declared a diplomatic resolution of the Taiwan dispute as a strategic objective with the United States.

China's parliament passed a law Monday authorizing an attack to stop Taiwan from pursuing formal independence, a day after President Hu Jintao told the Chinese military to be prepared for war.

The ceremonial National People's Congress approved the legislation over U.S. calls for restraint and warnings by Taiwan that it would damage regional stability and fragile ties between Beijing and Taipei.

An outbreak of hostilities would be a severe blow to stability in East Asia, possibly prompting a response from the United States — which has some 50,000 troops in Japan and 35,000 in South Korea — to defend Taiwan.

Such a conflict could pin top U.S. allies in the area such as Japan and Australia between treaty obligations to Washington and reluctance to alienate China, which is assuming a growing political and economic role in the region.

Russia on Monday reaffirmed Moscow's opposition to independence for Taiwan and said it considered the question of Taiwan an internal matter for China, a top strategic partner for Russia in Asia.

The Russian foreign ministry said the new law stressed China's commitment to giving priority to peaceful methods to unify the country under the one state, two systems approach.

In Australia, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said his government would consult with the United States, as required by the 54-year-old ANZUS treaty, if a Chinese attack on Taiwan triggered an American military response.

But whether Australia would join the fight was a separate question, he said.

"We would be bound to consult with the Americans and the ANZUS treaty could be invoked," Downer told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio. "But that's a very different thing from saying we would make a decision to go to war."

China is Australia's fastest-growing trading partner and fourth-largest export market. Trade between the two nations totaled $16.4 billion in 2002.

Not all Asian countries were worried about the move. Pakistan, a long time ally of China, supported the new law.

"Pakistan appreciates and fully supports efforts made by Chinese government for reunification of Taiwan to the motherland and considers the recently passed anti-secession law as part of these efforts," the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said in a statement.