To the Point

Renewed Tension between China and Taiwan

When the Communist Party took control of China in 1949, the previous government fled to the island of Taiwan. Since then, Taiwan has become a capitalist democracy, but with economic ties to the mainland so strong that commercial air travel has recently been established between Beijing and Taipei. China still considers Formosa a renegade province, and this week, passed what the -anti-secession law,- declaring that it will resort to war against Taiwan if the movement toward formal independence grows too strong. As Condoleezza Rice tours Asia with a planned stop in Beijing, we speak with historians, economists, China experts from the Carter Center and Formosa Foundation and former US Ambassador James Lilley about Taiwan's move toward independence, China's threat of war, and what it all means for the US and its relations with Europe. Making News: Iraqi National Assembly Convenes Iraq-s new parliament finally met today, six weeks after the country-s election, an achievement President Bush called a -bright moment.- At least for now, the governing body is required to live by rules established by the United States. Dan Murphy, who reports from Baghdad for the Christian Science Monitor, says that despite convening the new assembly, Kurds and Shiites have a long way to go before ironing out differences. Reporter's Notebook: Internet Child Pornography Bust in Spain -No decent democratic society can tolerate pedophilia.- That-s from Spanish Interior Minister Jos- Antonio Alonso, who announced today that 500 people from Spain and other European countries to Mexico, Chile and Argentina have been arrested for child pornography on the Internet. We hear more from Danny Wood, who reports from Madrid for the BBC, and Pete Brust, who heads Cyber Crime Section at the FBI.