CHINESE MILITARY PORTENDS MORE EDGINESS

When the Soviet Union collapsed, so did the global edginess that had characterized the Cold War for nearly half a century. Now that peace has been declared in the Cold War, it is easy to be lulled into believing that world peace is at hand.

But China, our new trading partner, demonstrated this week its military might is something to be taken seriously. And no prudent government should lose sight of the fact that the Chinese military, which already runs much of that country's industrial production to raise revenue for more war-making hardware, is geared up to take on all comers, including the U.S. armed forces.

The spark for military confrontation between the two military powers may well be waiting to be struck in Taiwan. China wants the island nation to bound tightly to the mainland in every way and is obviously willing to use its military to make it happen, whether or not the United States intervenes.

This is a dangerous situation that will require deft hands and nimble minds if such a crisis ever occurs.