Dixit drummed his fingers on the table. ‘Does she now. I will not be speaking to Hastings, and tell Holden this. We pulled back, on an American assurance which proved to be hollow. We have taken heavy casualties at Shillong. I have lost a personal friend, and our ability to conduct an operation against the invading Chinese troops has been severely weakened. If I was a suspicious man, I would imagine that the United States and China were working together against India. Certainly, that is what our free press will make of it. So tell Holden that the democratically elected government of India reserves the right to do whatever it chooses to neutralize the threat from China.’ He turned to Chandra Reddy. ‘Can you get me Gorbunov at the Kremlin?’
When the Russian President was on the line, he said, ‘We may have to embark upon full-scale war with China.’
‘That does not surprise me,’ said Gorbunov.
‘I would like an assurance that our arms supplies will continue.’
‘You have it. I have anticipated the conflict and we have transport planes, engineers and technicians standing by to fly in spares and new equipment. But I must tell you this. We are doing exactly the same for China. We are abiding by our existing contracts, giving no more and no less. Should I withdraw supplies to you both, China would win because of its superior sea-launched submarine capability and land-based missile arsenal. It is also more able to absorb casualties. My policy is that whatever the stakes and whatever the outcome, this conflict must be confined within Asia without interference from Russia or the United States.’
Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, China
‘The loyal forces of the Second Artillery Regiment of the People’s Liberation Army have intervened to stop a splittist declaration of independence by illegal groups in the province of Taiwan. Taiwan is an inalienable part of China and is an internal matter for the Chinese government. Meanwhile, fishermen on the islands of Pei-kan, Nan-kan and Pai-chuan have asked Chinese troops for help in building cyclone shelters for their boats. The People’s Liberation Army is now working on that task, despite being attacked by a small number of terrorists who are holed up on the islands. Chinese fishermen on the island of Kinmen [Quemoy] have also asked for help and Chinese troops are on their way.’
Prime Minister’s Office, Tokyo, Japan
‘John, you can’t sit on the fence,’ said Prime Minister Wada, on the phone to the American President. ‘You have obligations both to Taiwan and to Japan. Matsu has fallen and within twelve hours they may have taken Kinmen. A carrier group arriving in twenty-four hours is just not enough.’
‘Taiwan has nothing to do with our treaty obligations to Japan,’ said Hastings.
‘To be frank, it does. Taken in isolation, I might be able to agree with you. But given what China is doing in India, it is imperative that its aggression be contained.’
The Situation Room, The White House, Washington, DC
‘We’re exchanging real-time SIGINT and ELINT with Taiwan,’ said Tom Bloodworth. ‘We’ve identified targets along the eastern coastline for cruise missile attacks. We have an Arleigh Burke-class cruiser within range and a first strike of Tomahawk cruise missiles is ready to go. The Japanese have picked up ELINT that the Chinese may deploy a SATCOM jammer against the US NAVSTAR Global Positioning System.’
‘They’re that sophisticated?’ said Hastings.
‘We don’t know. They may try. But anyway we’ll be deploying the TLAM Block III system which incorporates jam-resistant GPS receivers. It will also mean we don’t have to use the terrain features to guide the missile to target, which would take time to prepare. That’s why we’re ready to launch now.’
‘I suppose it’s no good me suggesting we don’t,’ said Joan Holden.
Ennio Barber answered before Hastings could. ‘We have to go to the American people with at least one strike, Mr President. The polls want us to hit much harder. The talk shows are full of retrospective stuff about us being soft on China and coddling dictators. If we don’t hit back at them we lose it all.’
‘Ennio has a point,’ said Alvin Jebb. ‘Although I admit it reluctantly. A superpower which fails to use that power in time of crisis is no longer a superpower.’
‘And we’ll lose the election,’ added Barber.
‘I understand the domestic political angle,’ said Holden. ‘I disagree with Alvin about losing superpower status, and I am not sure what we will achieve with one missile strike.’
‘We force through a ceasefire. It’s a message of force,’ said Jebb.
‘Tom,’ said Hastings, ‘what is your view?’
‘It won’t force a ceasefire,’ he said. ‘The Chinese will not back down, because if they do they will be embarrassed. But I don’t see that we have an alternative. If we strike over Taiwan, we might send a message to the Indians that we’re out there and that they don’t have to nuke China to survive. That’s what we’ve got to keep our eye on. After all these years, Taiwan is turning out to be a sideshow to the real conflict.’ Bloodworth suddenly became distracted by new information on his computer screen. ‘Sorry, but we’re getting reports of unusual deployments around the nuclear missile silos in Russia. Mr President, I think you had better talk to Gorbunov.’
Foreign Ministry, Beijing, China
‘If American missiles hit the mainland, we’ll be expelling you,’ Jamie Song told his friend Reece Overhalt. ‘The Embassy and your residence are surrounded by anti-American protesters. Don’t even try to get back there. I will give you a car with Foreign Ministry number plates to take you to the airport. We’ve given permission for the Gulf-stream chartered by your Embassy to stay on the tarmac until you need it. I will send in Public Security Bureau police to the Embassy to help evacuate staff. I will do that now. They will be taken to the airport and put on any commercial flights out. CNN might be saying that the demonstrations are staged. Believe me, they are not. We’re even worried that they might get out of hand and turn into a protest about our close relationship with the United States.’
‘I’m urging them not to strike,’ said Overhalt. ‘If you can hold off the invasion of Kinmen, we can hold off the strikes.’
Song let out a tired, cynical laugh. ‘Xinhua has announced it. China always does what it says it’s going to do. We are the most predictable government in the world. Besides, you have no choice. If you don’t strike, you lose it all, to Japan, to India, to Russia and to us.’ Song got up. Despite his bloodshot eyes and drawn features, he looked immaculate in a tailor-made dark suit. ‘I’ve promised to do CNN,’ he said. ‘It’s only next door, so hang around and watch it. It’ll probably be my last interview before Congress passes a new Trading with the Enemy Act with China.’
CNN: Foreign Minister, thank you for coming on to give us the Chinese perspective on the Taiwan dispute, and I would like to start on as optimistic a note as we can muster. Can you give us a timetable for the withdrawal of Chinese troops from Taiwan?