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US-China ties - the dangerous sound of silence
The fraying of lines of communications comes as temperatures rise over a range of issues
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William Choong
The Taiwan Strait crisis in 1995-1996 saw China and the United States draw closer to the brink of conflict after the latter granted a visa to then Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui to visit his alma mater Cornell University in June 1995. In July and August 1995, China launched missile "tests" and live-firing exercises in the waters surrounding Taiwan. The US responded by deploying naval assets such as an amphibious assault ship and an aircraft carrier near Taiwan in the second half of 1995. In March 1996, China conducted more military exercises and lobbed missiles; the US responded by sending two carrier battle groups into the area.
After the crisis, Lieutenant-General Zhang Wannian, then senior vice-chairman of China's Central Military Commission, asked US Admiral Joseph Prueher what the latter was thinking during the tense episode. Admiral Prueher's answer: "I remember wishing I had your telephone number."
