Quotes of the Day

China's New Revolution Our special report on the rise of China drew mail from some readers who are excited and optimistic about China's new, enhanced role on the global stage. But others are worried that China could become a threat

Your June 27 report on China asked, "Will the U.S. come to think of China as a friend or a foe?" That question seems to perpetuate cold war thinking. All of us do business every day with people we would not classify as friend or foe. Why should international relations be any different? That a nation's actions do not benefit the U.S. does not make that nation a foe.
Alan Middendorf
Longmont, Colorado, U.S.

More effort should be put into understanding the Chinese mind-set. It is naive to think that any conflict with Western or Christian ethics is a result of the Communist Party. The major contribution of the Communist Party to Chinese culture is an organized platform that has the ability to enforce opinions. For millenniums, Chinese culture has revered power and ignored the plight of the underdog. The Chinese respect strength, but if threatened, will retaliate with even greater strength. They will not accept help or surrender their values.
David Cherbonnier
Singapore

China's relations with Taiwan resemble those between North and South Korea. The West, however, gives in to Communist China for economic benefits at the expense of supporting Taiwan's democracy and de facto independence. Taiwan, a democratic nation whose future rests on each citizen's constitutional right to vote, should not be confused with its one-party neighbor on any level. TIME's inclusion of Taiwan on the map of China was very misleading.
Thomas Lin
North York, Canada

As a member of the U.S. merchant marine who has been sailing to China regularly for the past six years, I greatly appreciated your report. I see firsthand not only the effects of trade but also its impact on the Chinese people. China has one of the oldest cultures as well as a young and optimistic work force that sees no limits. It is a nation of hope and vitality. We can only trust that China's leadership will steer the country wisely into the future.
Ted C. Soderberg
San Francisco

The Top Snoop Speaks
In TIME's interview with CIA director Porter Goss [June 27], you asked him, "Could the U.S. go to war again based on false intelligence?" Goss disingenuously replied that he "would not agree to surmise" that we did so. Why can't U.S. Administration officials simply speak the truth about our invasion of Iraq? The indisputable fact is that President George W. Bush justified the attack on Iraq based on intelligence that proved to be wrong.
Gilbert H. Vieira
Colfax, California, U.S.

Trademark Illustration
We were surprised to see that the cover of your June 27, 2005, issue used a reproduction of our historic and highly recognizable registered trademark, the Louis Vuitton Monogram Pattern, without our knowledge or permission. Such use is likely to lead your readers to the mistaken impression that you are authorized to do so or that Louis Vuitton Malletier was involved in some way in its publication. The use of the monogram presents the potential for significant dilution of one of our core intellectual-property rights and is all the more of concern since it also appears on your website. Importantly, this use of our trademark in connection with an iconic Chinese figure [Chairman Mao] could damage the long-established relationship we have carefully built with China and its people since the opening in 1992 of the first Louis Vuitton store in Beijing.
Yves Carcelle, President
Louis Vuitton Malletier
Paris

Handouts in the Dark
"The North's Bitter Harvest," on how North Korea is on the brink of famine [June 20], addressed a controversial issue. Should other countries provide North Korea with humanitarian aid when it refuses to relinquish its nuclear arsenal? The answer should be no. We do not know if donated food really goes to the poor and needy. How can one expect to resolve a crisis without being certain of the facts? We should decide to provide aid only if we know for certain the hungry will receive the food.
Jennifer Bo-yu Chen
Bangkok