After Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (
For Taiwan, his statement is serious.
But before he said that, Bush emphasized that US policy is based on the "three communiques" and the Taiwan Relations Act.
Apparently, the US' Taiwan Strait policy remains unchanged, and Bush did not, as some people in the media had predicted he would, repeat his predecessor Bill Clinton's "three noes" policy.
During a press conference after their talks, Wen, in Bush's name, made a heap of statements that conform to China's interests. Bush only nodded and did not speak. At best, this means he "heard" China's discourse; it does not mean he agreed with it.
The point is that Washington's real attitude will only be revealed after Wen returns home. We only have to look at the high-profile reception President Chen Shui-bian (
Wen proudly quoted Bush's statement, believing that the US president had publicly expressed his opposition to Taiwanese independence.
He misquoted Bush, and, furthermore, showed that China must take its cue from the US when dealing with Taiwan. Given that the Taiwan Relations Act is a US law, China must face the US before making military threats against Taiwan.
From the point of view of the US, it doesn't want any change -- what Bush termed a "unilateral attempt" -- by either Taiwan or China to the cross-strait status quo. Therefore, the US uses the "three communiques" to restrain Taiwan and the Taiwan Relations Act to restrain China.
But the problem is Taiwan is an independent democracy, and the sovereignty of a democracy lies in the hands of its people.
If Taiwanese people seek to express their opinions through democratic procedures, will the US really dare to tell them not to do so?
Former president Lee Teng-hui's (
Similarly, Washington may have found it hard to accept the newly passed Referendum Law (
Chin Heng-wei is editor in chief of Contemporary Monthly magazine.
Translated by Jackie Lin
It is employment pass renewal season in Singapore, and the new regime is dominating the conversation at after-work cocktails on Fridays. From September, overseas employees on a work visa would need to fulfill the city-state’s new points-based system, and earn a minimum salary threshold to stay in their jobs. While this mirrors what happens in other countries, it risks turning foreign companies away, and could tarnish the nation’s image as a global business hub. The program was announced in 2022 in a bid to promote fair hiring practices. Points are awarded for how a candidate’s salary compares with local peers, along
China last month enacted legislation to punish —including with the death penalty — “die-hard Taiwanese independence separatists.” The country’s leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), need to be reminded about what the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has said and done in the past. They should think about whether those historical figures were also die-hard advocates of Taiwanese independence. The Taiwanese Communist Party was established in the Shanghai French Concession in April 1928, with a political charter that included the slogans “Long live the independence of the Taiwanese people” and “Establish a republic of Taiwan.” The CCP sent a representative, Peng
Japan and the Philippines on Monday signed a defense agreement that would facilitate joint drills between them. The pact was made “as both face an increasingly assertive China,” and is in line with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s “effort to forge security alliances to bolster the Philippine military’s limited ability to defend its territorial interests in the South China Sea,” The Associated Press (AP) said. The pact also comes on the heels of comments by former US deputy national security adviser Matt Pottinger, who said at a forum on Tuesday last week that China’s recent aggression toward the Philippines in
The Ministry of National Defense on Tuesday announced that the military would hold its annual Han Kuang exercises from July 22 to 26. Military officers said the exercises would feature unscripted war games, and a decentralized command and control structure. This year’s exercises underline the recent reforms in Taiwan’s military as it transitions from a top-down command structure to one where autonomy is pushed down to the front lines to improve decisionmaking and adaptability. Militaries around the world have been observing and studying Russia’s war in Ukraine. They have seen that the Ukrainian military has been much quicker to adapt to