"Serious Damage"

Whoa

"Heck hath no fury like a hoochie scorned" - totally true - yet can this ancient adage hook up with nation states in the new millennium?

Absolute!

Everybody knows the drill about the double Chinas. Long as Taiwan acts like a distant, hot! and rowdy province of the great collectivist mommieland, things are relatively cool.

China is totally tripping over Taiwan. Long considered a rebellious province that would one day be welcomed back in to Mother China (ala Hong Kong) China has a jealous eye towards her democratic, successful, rich, little sister. And a crazy intolerance for a hip, free and fun sister (who hasn't bothered anybody) to be independent. Or a homie of Great Satan.

President Hu's '5 No's' explain everything. Perfectly clear what will unleash Collectivist anger

"...a formal declaration of independence or a military alliance by Taiwan with a foreign power, or foreign intervention in Taiwan's internal affairs.

" Delays in resumption of cross-Strait dialogue, and an unwillingness to negotiate on the basis of 'one China'. Taiwan's acquisition of nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction internal unrest or turmoil on Taiwan

Oh Snap! Taiwan's blinging on 6.5 Billion bucks worth of super hot weaponry - like tons of short and intermediate range missiles - which for an island nation mean only one thing:

Annihilating a D Day style amphib invasion!

"The US plan will definitely undermine China-US relations and bring about serious negative impact on exchange and cooperation in major areas between the two countries"

"Revoke the erroneous decision on arms sales to Taiwan and stop selling any weapons to Taiwan"

This is an excellent example of Smart Power - enabling sister democracies to fend for themselves.

If Red China is really that tore up about it - maybe she could deploy some 'Smart Power' herself - and put NoKo's rocket rich starvation regime out of biz, effectively offering up something in exchange for Taiwan's return to the Cross Straight Dialogue.