UCLA Asia Institute

A Small Sampling of Asian Comment 
on the Sept. 11, 2001 Terrorist Attack on the United States

prepared September 13, 2001
NEW: Sept. 16, 2001 update

China || Hong Kong || India || Japan || Pakistan || South Korea || Taiwan

CEAS

China

Foreign Ministry    Chinese    English 
Sept. 12, 2001 Statement "On the Terrorist Attacks on the U.S."
Sept. 13, 2001 report: "President Jiang had a conversation with US President Bush"
The report begins, "On the evening of 12 September, President Jiang Zemin had a telephone conversation with US President Bush at the request of the latter." 

China Daily (state run English daily, published in Beijing with overseas editions published in several cities including New York) 

On Sept. 14, the newspaper reported that Chinese Foreign Minister Qian Qichen "vows to help US fight terrorism." The writer reported that, "China has condemned Tuesday's attacks and offered its support and sympathy to the United States but called for cool-head. Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wang Guangya said on Thursday Beijing wanted to be consulted before Washington retaliated."

A China Daily staffer named Sun was in the World Trade Center at the time of the attack. On Sept. 13, the paper carried the story of her escape and the offers of support she received from her superiors: "At this moment, Sun got a phone call from her husband, Zhang Kening, who works in Jamaica, caught the CNN headline news, which covered the air strike almost at the same time. `'He told me to calm down, and evacuate from the building immediately,'' she said.
    "She followed the throng down the stairway. `'Everybody seemed to be calm and try to help each other,' she said."

While it didn't yet have cartoons concerning the attack, the China Daily editorial cartoon page merits a look.

Renmin Ribao (人民日报  People's Daily) Chinese    English
Renmin Ribao is the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party. It is published in Beijing with overseas editions published in several cities, including New York. The site also hosts a number of bulletin boards where visitors can share their views.

Special English language section: "The United States Under Terrorist Attack"
"China Urges NATO to Consult Other Regions Before Taking Action" (Sept. 13, 2001)
"NATO should consult with countries outside Europe before launching action following the terrorist attacks in the United States, China's vice foreign minister Wang Guangya said on Thursday.
    "Wang later also told reporters that China would not rule out assisting military action if such operations were to be decided under a broader framework, such as the United Nations.
    "'Any action taken will have its implications for other regions, so it's better that consultation be conducted,' said Wang, answering questions at a press conference in Beijing on a separate issue...."

"Two Chinese Confirmed Dead in Attack in US" (Sept. 13, 2001)
"[Chinese foreign ministry spokesman] Zhu told a regular press conference that as far as the Chinese Government has learned by 8 a.m. Thursday, two Chinese citizens died in the New York terrorist attack, identified as Zheng Yuguang, male, 65 and Yang Shuyin, female, 61. They were both on board American Airlines' flight 77, Zhu said.
    "Chen Xiaobing, male, 32, was also reported dead by his family but the details of the situation are still unknown. Wang Weibin, male, 41, is missing, Zhu added.
    "Among the 18 Chinese companies located in the World Trade Center, 11 have confirmed that all their Chinese employees and families are safe. Some people were wounded in one company and another company is not sure if all employees were evacuated safely. Five companies are still unable to be contacted, according to Zhu.
    "All employees of the other six Chinese companies located near the World Trade Center are safe now, Zhu said...."

Special Chinese language section: "美国连遭恐怖主义袭击"
This part of the site includes a 40 slide Powerpoint presentation on the assault.

Hong Kong

Far Eastern Economic Review (owned by Dow Jones, the weekly is published in Hong Kong)

The lead article in the Sept. 20 issue argues that "The U.S. Nightmare is Asia's." Bruce Gilley wrote, "the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon threaten not only U.S. economic leadership in Asia but also its willingness to undergird the region's often shaky security. The U.S. was the main victim of the outrage. But unless the governments and people of Asia respond quickly, they too will fall victim to the terrible impact....
    "The U.S. nightmare spread quickly around the world, especially to Asia where stockmarkets tumbled, airports were thrown into chaos and financial sectors braced for crisis. Malaysia's twin Petronas Towers--Asia's answer to the World Trade Centre--were evacuated on September 12 after a terrorist threat.
    "Immediate security threats loom in Asia. China, despite words of condolence, has been a vocal critic of the U.S. military and political presence in the region. North Korea was the slowest Asian nation to respond. As the U.S. Seventh Fleet in Japan went into self-defence mode, the security of shipping through the Malacca Strait, Japan's key source of imported energy and the conduit for Asia's exports to Europe, was thrown into question. The Spratly Islands suddenly seemed more vulnerable to regional conflicts....
    Gilley concludes, "The Asian century was nurtured by an American pre-eminence in Asia. Now it is up to Asia to show that it can respond to a vicious attack on the U.S. in a responsible and forthright manner."

Ming Pao (明报 Ming Bao, Chinese language newspaper)

"'World Cop' Must Not Become Terrorist" (Sept. 13) editorial: "If George W Bush, to punish those who had masterminded the attacks, hastily ordered that the US military carry out air strikes or missile attacks against terrorists' headquarters as he did early this year shortly after he had taken office, people's anger might indeed be temporarily vented.  
      "However, the US government must first answer some questions. What if its retaliatory actions fail to deter terrorists from launching another round of attacks? What if its retaliatory actions are targeted at the wrong group? The US government must act cautiously. Before the several vital places in the US were attacked, no US intelligence agency had issued any warning. Bush has already lost face. If the US' retaliatory actions went wrong, the weak president's prestige would be further damaged....
    "Terrorism must not be condoned. If there is evidence, ways ought to be found to extradite terrorist suspects to places where they have committed crimes for trial. For example, with efforts and patience, the US government had the Palestinian man who planted a bomb in the World Trade Centre in 1993 extradited from Jordan to the US, where he was subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment. If the US indiscriminately bombed suspects and killed innocent people regardless of the rule of law, it would be like the pot that calls the kettle black.
    "Bush quoted from Psalm 23, 'Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me.' To Bush, a Christian, the 'You' is of course 'God.' However, all who live in the shadow of the US hegemonism hope the 'You' is the rule of law, for it is what a new world political order is founded on."

South China Morning Post (the leading English language newspaper)

America Under Attack (special section of the website)

Under the headline "Bush Rebuked for Foreign Policy," Ng Kang-chung summarized the views of several Hong Kong-based newspapers on Sept. 13: "[P]ro-Beijing papers argued Washington had been too tough. An editorial in Wen Wei Po said, a 'certain superpower adopts a hegemonistic policy to bully weaker countries, preventing their reasonable needs from being met.'
    "Ta Kung Pao, another Beijing-affiliated paper, said it 'strongly condemns those who planned these terrorist attacks.'. But it warned that these were the result of a 'policy of being partial to one side' in the Middle East and that the US was now having 'to eat its own bitter fruit.' Expressing similar views was the mainstream Hong Kong Economic Times, which urged President George W. Bush to 'abandon his cowboy character.' 'Since he took office in January, he has started trouble everywhere. The one . . . most familiar is his strong stance towards China. He mobilised Asian countries to fence in China and sold weapons to Taiwan.'
   "Other local editorials focused on the economic impact of the attack. Ming Pao warned this would make life more difficult for the SAR during the present economic downturn, referring to it as 'like adding frost to snow.' Sing Pao warned the Hong Kong community to be prepared for a lengthy period of economic hardship. Meanwhile Sing Tao urged the Government to follow the example of Wall Street and consider temporarily closing the stock market to avoid creating another financial crisis for Hong Kong."

Also on Sept. 13, The paper's own editorial team argued it was "Time to Reassess": "Great tragedies always provide an opportunity for reflection and reassessment. Once the dust from the terrorist attacks against New York and Washington settles, and some of the pain, sorrow and anger diminishes, it would be opportune for the US to take a realistic look at its relationship with the rest of the world.
    "On the one hand, its wealth, its freedoms, and its way of life are admired and seen as a model for the rest of the world to emulate....
    "But Pax Americana is not universally accepted. Neither are the values on which American society is based. In most cases, there is an uneasy coexistence between those who share US values and those who do not....
   "If the US is to continue to exercise its global role, it is important that besides handing out retribution to those involved in the terrorist attacks it also pays attention to the causes for this resentment and to try and understand it.
    "The security of the US cannot rest solely on the power of its armed forces.
    "It also needs a new diplomacy to reach out to those who feel alienated from a US-led global order."

A Sept. 13 story explained that only one Hong Kong company had an office in the World Trade Center and only three employees worked there -- all of whom had escaped the attack without injury. Several Chinese companies, however, had larger offices in the towers: "One person at an unidentified China-based company in the World Trade Centre suffered a leg injury, Beijing's Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Co-operation said yesterday. No other injuries or fatalities were reported by China-based companies with offices in the centre.
   "The ministry said 14 mainland companies with offices in the centre employed about 30 staff, based on the most recent information from the Chinese Consulate in New York. 'We're still trying to determine exactly how many Chinese enterprises were in the World Trade Centre,' a spokesman said....
    "Three Taiwan banks with offices in the centre also said their staff survived without serious injury."

On Sept. 12, the paper carried a Reuters report from Beijing noting that the Chinese government stepped up police protection of the U.S. embassy there. The report quoted a police lieutenant as saying, ''We are here to protect the safety of embassy personnel and US citizens.... ''China is utterly opposed to terrorist activities....
    According to the report, not all Chinese shared this view: ''My initial reaction is they deserve it because the US is just bad,'' said a middle-aged taxi driver in Shanghai who declined to be identified.
    '''Their economy is too developed, so it's bound to arouse the envy and hatred of others.'' Said a traffic warden in Beijing, who gave her last name as Wu: ''Some things America has done are a little bit extreme. Extreme for any country. We read the papers every day...like hitting our aeroplane.''
   '''America has attacked other countries. It bombed the Chinese embassy. China would not bomb any country and is peaceful with every country.'''

Ta Kung Pao (大公报 Dagongbao, Chinese language Hong Kong based newspaper)

International News

India 

Ministry of External Affairs The ministry website provides links to various clippings from Indian newspapers.

In the Sept. 12 issue of The Indian Express, Arati R. Jerath wrote that India sought to exploit American anger and foster stronger ties: "With United States President George Bush vowing retribution for Tuesday’s attacks in New York and Washington — both against the perpretators and against the country sheltering them — India moved swiftly to make common cause with Washington by offering all help in tracking down the culprits....
    "While it is too early to predict the substantive form of an Indo-US axis on counter-terrorism, the Vajpayee Government is hopeful that its efforts to isolate Pakistan will receive a fillip with Washington’s newly acquired sensitivity to the terrorism menace. The change in US attitudes is already evident and India is preparing to exploit this against Pakistan."

The Pioneer on Sept. 13, called for stern measures against terrorists: "The time for rhetoric is over. Nations across the world must ponder the need to come together to fight the most vicious menace to humanity, terrorism in the name of God. The dastardly World Trade Center attack has shown how a handful of terrorists, fired by revenge and religious bigotry, can wreak havoc on civilised society. Humanity's worst ever act of terrorism has also revealed how lax nations have been in realising the debilitating potential of renegades like Osama bin Laden in destroying public faith in stability and peace through a few minutes of terror unleashed from the sky."    

Japan

Foreign Ministry    Japanese    English

Special Japanese language section on the attack

Prime Minister KOIZUMI Junichiro's Sept. 12, 2001 statement on the attack: "The incidents in the United States are extremely vicious and unforgivable acts of violence. Such acts of terrorism are totally unacceptable. I am outraged." A week long trip that Koizumi intended to make to several Southeast Asian nations was postponed so that he could remain in Japan to coordinate the government's response to the attack.

The official website of the prime minister has a special section devoted to the terrorist attack and to the Japanese government's plans to aid Japanese in the US and to cooperate with the US government. Point 5 of the response plan is "Japan will respond in cooperation with the United States and other concerned nations to combat international terrorism."

The Japan Times (English language daily, published in Tokyo)

Among The Japan Times articles on the attack is a report on comments by Chief Cabinet Secretary FUKUDA Yasuo (Sept. 14) concerning the possibility of reinterpreting Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution: "His comments came during debate over what help Japan can extend to the United States, following this week's devastating terrorist attacks.
   "While stressing that Japan's support for the U.S. will stick to the framework of the pacifist Constitution, Fukuda did not rule out the possibility of changing its interpretation to enable Japan to exercise its right to collective defense.
    "'The major premise is that we have our Constitution and we will do things within the scope of it,'" he said. "'Given that, some people may discuss changing some interpretation. That's something we cannot decide at the prime minister's office on our own and requires us to fully consult with ruling parties.'"
   "The government will closely monitor the actions of other U.S. allies in deciding whether to alter its interpretation of the Constitution, Fukuda added...."

Kyodo News editorial writer HARUNA Mikio wrote on Sept. 14: "The U.S., a multiethnic society, often appears to be fragmented in normal circumstances, but in a time of national crisis Americans have the strength to stand together. The terrorist crisis will most likely provide a tail wind behind the Bush administration's effort to build a missile defense shield against 'rogue states' suspected of supporting or tolerating international terrorism."

On Sept. 14, The Japan Times reported that at least 22 Japanese were missing after the attack on the World Trade Center.

On Sept. 13, under the headline "A Day of Infamy," the paper editorialized: "Despite the imperative for firmness and clarity, however, it is to be hoped that cool heads, not warmongers, will prevail. For in fact the Pearl Harbor analogy is off the mark. In that case, the perpetrator and its goals -- specific military goals -- were known; in this case, nothing comparable is known. There are only suspects and speculation. It is hardly feasible to declare war on a 'possible enemy.'
   "This does not mean that the U.S. can do nothing. It must do something to both punish those responsible and try to ensure that such a thing never happens again. The enormity of Tuesday's events will take a long time to sink in, but it is probably true that, as commentators said in the wake of the shocking terrorist attacks, Americans' lives will never be quite the same again. The stuff of nightmares briefly broke through into the real world, and will cause profound and lasting anxiety. The Bush administration should bear in mind that much, if not most, of the world is united in condemning this cowardly, unprovoked attack as a major crime against humanity. Any response, therefore, can only be strengthened by being planned and implemented on an international basis rather than unilaterally."

The day after the attack, the Nikkei 225, the best known Japanese stock index, dropped "below the psychologically sensitive 10,000 mark for the first time in 17 years, closing at 9,610.10.
    "Panic selling following the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington on Tuesday triggered the fall."

Asahi Shimbun (leading national newspaper, published in Tokyo)

Special Japanese language section devoted to the attack (includes graphics, photographs)

On Sept. 14, the paper reported that Japan would be helpless if terrorists launched a similar attack: "Holes remain in airport security and anti-terrorist police units are ill-prepared for a large-scale assault, officials say.
    "The horrific terrorist attacks on the United States stunned Japanese security officials who say Japan would be powerless to prevent such a tragedy from hitting these shores.
    "Although Japan strengthened airport security measures following the July 1999 hijacking of an All Nippon Airways flight, airline industry officials say there are still holes to fill.
    "After that hijacking, in which a knife-wielding passenger killed the pilot because he wanted to fly the plane, airlines have tightened restrictions on carry-on luggage containing knives...."

Pakistan

Islamic Republic of Pakistan     

On Sept. 13, the official press reported President Pervez MUSHARRAF condemned the attack on the U.S.: "On his arrival in the capital from Karachi, President General Pervez Musharraf immediately went into a high-level meeting to discuss the obtaining situation as a result of terrorist attacks in the United States. The President received a comprehensive briefing on the subject in the meeting. In response to a question regarding the details of the meeting, the President said: “The people of Pakistan are deeply shocked and outraged at the dreadful terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, which have resulted in unprecedented loss of thousands of innocent lives. it is difficult to describe in words our sorrow and grief at this moment of national tragedy for the American people. I have conveyed the deepest condolences and sympathy of the people and Government of Pakistan to President George Bush, the bereaved families and the American people in a message last evening.
    “We strongly condemn this barbaric act of terrorism, which will live in memory as a most heinous crime against humanity. As the world tries to grasp the magnitude of the tragedy and mourn those who have perished, we pray for the recovery of thousands of others who have suffered injuries. “We regard terrorism as an evil that threatens the world community. Concerted international effort is needed to fight terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. The carnage in New York and Washington has raised this struggle to a new level. Pakistan has been extending cooperation to international efforts to combat terrorism in the past and will continue to do so. All countries must join hands in this common cause. “I wish to assure President Bush and the US Government of our unstinted cooperation in the fight against terrorism,” the President added."

The president also asked Pakistanis in the U.S. to assist Americans in need: “My dear Pakistanis, The despicable and devastating act against innocent people in New York and Washington has caused great anguish and concern among the Government and the people of Pakistan. As a peace-loving nation, we join the world community in strongly condemning these brutal acts and the consequent loss of precious lives. Terrorism is a threat to humanity and to the human civilization. Pakistan condemns all acts of terrorism anywhere in the world and shares the sorrow and grief of the people of the United States. I urge upon all of you, living in the United States of America, to extend all possible help and assistance to all victims. I urge you to step forward and donate much needed blood for the injured. Step out and provide your service and your resources to all those who need them there. I am confident you would rise to the occasion and assist, help and assuage the grieved. My heart goes out to the families of all those who have suffered and particularly to the families of those who lost their lives whether Americans, Pakistanis or from any other country.”

The Friday Times (published in Lahore)

Editor Najem Sethi's editorial on the attack argues that Pakistan must change its approach to Afghanistan or risk being drawn into a conflict not of its own making:  "The 11th September terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York, and the Pentagon and State Department in Washington DC could become a defining point for Pakistan, if not for the rest of the world. The US is ready to declare war against those groups, countries and civilizations that aid, abet or harbour its declared enemies. This will have profound implications for the world order in general and certain “rogue” regimes and their friends, associates or supporters in particular.
    "The 'terrorists,' 'freedom fighters,' 'jehadis' — call them what you will – chose their targets specifically for their symbolic value. The World Trade Center as a symbol of US capital, the Pentagon as a symbol of US muscle and the State Department as a symbol of America’s government. Together, they define the soul of the USA, one that has now been bruised beyond American reckoning. There is, clearly, no 'shield' against human suicide squads....
    "As each potential target of American wrath holds its breath, Pakistani policy makers might be advised to take urgent stock of the situation. A few months ago, (Editorial, The world according to PM, TFT, 11th May, 2001) we argued that General Pervez Musharraf should not become too complacent in power and pointed out the pitfalls of his Afghan policies. 'The Taliban’s military victories provide illusory strategic depth to Islamabad, but one false move by Osama Bin Laden could provoke the wrath of the big boy in the White House and make Afghanistan a millstone around our neck.' Last week, (Editorial, Afghanistan is core issue,TFT, 7th September, 2001), we said that: 'The travails of the Afghan people and the turmoil in Kabul under the Taliban continue to cast their shadow over Pakistan. But the Islamabad establishment refuses to account for the mounting costs of this relationship to Pakistan, apart from mouthing inanities about some sort of ‘strategic depth’…This strategy may seem terribly clever but it is all too obvious. At best it will prolong the painful economic status quo and stunt Pakistan’s rebirth as a creative and modern nation. At worst, it might hasten the Talibanisation of our country and precipitate a showdown with the West when its patience runs out.'”

On Sept. 13, Ejaz Haidar condemned the attack, but suggested that the U.S. insists on a double standard regarding international justice: "The attacks on targets in New York and Washington were unprecedented, coordinated and clearly well-planned and executed. They have resulted in immense loss, primarily, of civilian life and property, which is reprehensible by any standards. Violence is not and should not be a free-for-all business; it needs rules if it is not to be gratuitous. Civilians must not die. Yet, as the history of violence shows, they do....
    "There is talk of retaliation, tracking down and finishing off the perpetrators of this crime. That may be desirable but will not put matters to rest. Analysts speak about the necessity of the “civilised” world acting together to put down such terrorism. This is certainly not a good approach towards finding answers and solutions and merely serves to trivialise not only the tragedy that unfolded in the United States but also the insecurity of other people around the world. Moreover, it is the problem and therefore cannot be the solution....
    "In this regard, two issues stand out. One deals with the International Criminal Court, the other with the Bush Administration’s plans to build Ballistic Missile Defenses. There has been a lot of talk about Bin Ladin’s involvement in the attacks, who the US has been trying to get hold of. The Taliban have refused to give him up but have told the US to provide enough evidence against him so he can stand trial. The US has not done that. One can argue that it would have been easier to persuade the Taliban to give up Bin Ladin if he were to stand trial at the ICC. But the US refuses to ratify the ICC statute because it would not allow a US citizen to stand trial before an international court. There is obvious contradiction here. Does this mean the US wants to subject citizens of other countries to multi-lateral treaties or its domestic jurisdiction, whatever the case may be, while shielding its own from them? Evidently, that does not make for cooperative security....
    "There can be no foolproof defence against such acts, but they can be minimised. That would require not just employment of multi-layered counter-terrorism means, but also a clear effort to address the causes of the outrage that force someone to resort to killing in this manner. It is not just an issue of prevention but one of cure."

The International News (Daily Jang, English and Urdu)

Special section: America Under Attack

Sept. 12 editorial: "The enormity, precision planning, execution and effectiveness of the attack, unprecedented, as it naturally is, shows how organised, well coordinated, methodical, determined and desperate the attackers were. In a span of a few minutes several commercial aircraft were hijacked from different places, sent to their designated targets and achieved destruction in human life and property on a scale which would probably never be matched.
    "The attacks must provide an occasion for the United States establishment to pause and think whether the hardline they have adopted is proving to be counter-productive. The desperation of the attackers, whoever they may be, reflects that some individuals, groups or organisations, were so strongly driven and fired up against the Americans that they not only stopped caring for their own lives, they did not consider claiming the lives of hundreds and thousands of other innocent victims of these attacks. If America was preparing and waiting for an Armageddon, it has now happened....
    "Apart from the many reasons for the culture of violence, it also has its roots in frustration born of injustice. Unless the world leaders put their heads together and seriously try to find a way to end this bloodletting, repeats of the Black Tuesday may continue, making lives of people round the world insecure. If ever there was a wake-up call for the world to resolve simmering issues, this one has been the loudest and the costliest."

South Korea

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade    Korean    English

Sept. 13 statement on the attack: "... Hoping that the American people will overcome this tremendous catastrophe with unyielding courage, we stand ready, as a close U.S. ally, to provide all necessary assistance.
    "The ROK government joins the United States and other nations in rooting out such terrorist acts, and will spare no efforts in this endeavor."

Korea Herald (published in Seoul)

President KIM Dae-jung had planned to visit the U.S. in order to speak at a United Nations conference on Sept. 21. The conference has been postponed and Kim's trip is on hold indefinitely.

On Sept. 13, the paper reported that the South Korean and North Korean governments were planning to agree to a joint declaration against terrorism: "South Korea is pushing to adopt an inter-Korean joint declaration against terrorism during the upcoming cabinet-level talks with North Korea, Seoul officials said yesterday.
    "The Seoul government also plans to actively join international efforts to prevent international terrorism.
    "These are parts of countermeasures the South Korean government is working on in response to the devastating terrorist attacks on New York and Washington....
    "It is likely that the North will agree on the adoption of a joint anti-terrorism statement given that Pyongyang has condemned the hijack plane attack on New York and Washington, presidential aides said.
    "The North Korean Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that the "regretful and tragic incident" that took place in the United States was a reminder of the gravity of terrorism."

The Sept. 14 issue of the paper carried an article about Koreans still missing in New York: "In the wake of Tuesday's devastating terrorist attacks in the United States, families of Koreans missing in the afflicted areas have been agonizing over their kin's fate, while those who found their relatives safe are relieved.
    "According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and local reports, 36 Koreans have been reported as missing at the Korean consulate general in New York since Tuesday, 16 of whom were confirmed as having survived." 

South Korea will be co-host of the next World Cup soccer championship. On Sept. 14, the paper reported that Defense Minister Kim Dong-shin and Gen. Thomas Schwartz, commander of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) had met to discuss improving anti-terrorist cooperation. 

Taiwan

Ministry of Foreign Affairs     Chinese    English

Central News Agency (Taiwan government news service) 

Chinese language newswire     English language newswire

On Sept. 12, CNA reported that:
President Chen Shui-bian condemned the terrorist attack.
Taiwan citizens working in the World Trade Center were safe, but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was ordering that "all representative offices to increase the level of protection for ROC expatriates after the deadly terrorist attacks in the United States.
    "Moreover, the ministry has ordered all representative offices in the United States not to host National Day cocktail receptions and other celebration activities this year," Chang said. The ROC's National Day falls on Oct. 10...."
Taiwan's two major oil companies had sufficient reserves and would not raise prices following the attack. Oil exports to China and Southeast Asia, however, were to be halted.
A Taiwan firm, Via Technologies, was donating US $1 million towards the relief effort in the U.S.
The attack caused former US president Bill Clinton to postpone a planned trip to Taiwan.

China Times (ChinaTimes.com 中时电子报   Taipei based newspaper)

Special "net tv" audio interview devoted to the attack (世纪警炮重创美国)

Taipei Times (台北时报   English language Taipei based newspaper)

On Sept. 13, the newspaper's editors argued that while nothing could justify the terrorists' attack, the anger that motivated it could be understood: "The more the pity then that rational people are not asking themselves why the US should be so hated. Yet the catalogue of suspects alone points to the probable reason like an arrow. The US is hated by a substantial number of people because of its hypocrisy and duplicity in the Middle East.
   "The reality of the situation is ill-served by talking of cowardice -- it takes some courage, however misguided, to fly a plane into a building -- or even evil, as the willful taking of human life must necessarily be seen.
   "The US portrays itself as a beacon of hope, freedom and liberty. If it lived up to its self-image, why would anybody hate it? The problem is that to the average Palestinian refugee, his land stolen by the state of Israel, condemned to exile in a Middle Eastern diaspora or the filth and poverty of the West Bank and Gaza, America is none of those things. Rather it is the mighty backer of the regime that stole his land and shoots his children and condemns him to a hopeless struggle to survive. No wonder there were reports of rejoicing in the streets of Nablus and East Jerusalem yesterday."

Graduate student Paul Ho, in an op-ed essay, on Sept. 14 discussed how some in Taiwan saw in the attack a strategy to use against the Beijing government. He wrote: ".... On Internet forums, one sees messages expressing pleasure at other people's disasters. Some believe the US had it coming; some are even calling on Taiwan to follow the terrorists' example and launch similar attacks on Shanghai and Beijing. The suffering inflicted by the attacks, the madness of the terrorists who carried them out and the attitudes of people who watch the events as if they are watching a good movie -- these are just some of the deplorable signs that, at the beginning of the so-called "digital era," the human soul is still deeply mired in the self-destructive idea of fighting violence with violence and resolving everything by means of force.
    "...Indeed, the US, the self-proclaimed world policeman and peacekeeper, used to claim that its unilateral leadership would be conducive to stability and prosperity throughout the world. When intervening in regional conflicts as a mediator, however, the US has placed its own interests -- instead of ethics and justice -- as its guiding principle. This has resulted in partiality and injustice." Ho goes on to compare U.S. efforts in Yugoslavia with those in Columbia and Turkey. Further, he complains that, "[t]he ROC [Taiwan], a staunch anti-communist ally of the US during the Cold War, has also been abandoned time and again by the US -- first before the Korean War and then following Washington's policy to join hands with China to contain the Soviet Union.
    "In a reality shaped by such superpower leadership, many small countries or minorities have received very unfair treatment, which in turn has spawned anger and hatred...." While Ho understands the resentment many feel, he argues that terrorism is a dead end street, only leading to more violence.
    "Humanity's highest guideline should be neither national identity nor religious affiliation. Rather, it should be tolerance and respect for life.
   "Today, when the world is being swept by the torrents of globalization, many minority groups and cultures are overshadowed, threatened and even exploited by powerful Western political and economic forces.
   "The pursuit of justice through non-violent means and the belief in peaceful coexistence should be the universal values by which all humanity abides."

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