US Vice President Dick Cheney's statements on the Taiwan issue during his visit to China signal that Taiwan-US relations are back on track after a string of aberrations caused by the referendum, election disputes and American Institute in Taiwan Chairwoman Therese Shaheen's resignation. Cheney's neutral stance helps redress US President George W. Bush's turn toward China during talks with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (
Although Cheney reiterated the policy that the US does not support Taiwan's independence, opposes unilateral changes to the status quo and urges cross-strait negotiations, he said for the first time that US arms sales to Taiwan are prompted by China's missiles aimed at Taiwan, adding that the US arms sales follow Taiwan Relations Act (TRA). Not only were his remarks reported by China's state-run news agency but he reiterated this stance at Shanghai's Fudan University.
Cheney's China visit reflects that international relations are functioning smoothly after being distorted by the recent presidential election campaign. It further shows that Taiwan's control of the diplomatic damage wrought by the referendum and Shaheen's resignation has taken effect. Taiwan exercised damage control before Cheney's visit: former minister of foreign affairs Eugene Chien (簡又新) stepped down for supervisory negligence over Shaheen's departure. Chien's resignation has effectively absorbed the discord between Taiwan and the US, and is a sign that Taiwan has come out of the election uncertainty and that Taiwan-US relations have returned to a routine track.
Cheney arrived in Beijing on April 13, the day before China's Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Li Weiyi (李維一) decried President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) push for a new constitution by 2006 as pushing for Taiwan's independence. Earlier, the office also called the TRA inappropriate. But this time, Cheney's actions differed from those of Bush, who echoed Wen's unfavorable remarks about Taiwan during their talk. Washington's stance has become more flexible, so it again can play the role of a mediator in cross-strait relations.
Apart from declaring that plans for US arms sales to Taiwan remain unchanged, Cheney also advised China to negotiate with Taiwan. This promotes Chen's ideas for resuming cross-strait talks after his re-election, for building a "peace and stability" framework for cross-strait interactions and for appointing a Taiwan representative to Beijing.
Cheney also called on China not to oppress freedom and democracy at home or in Hong Kong. Since the implementation of "one country, two systems" in Hong Kong is a very important indicator for Taiwan, Beijing's oppression of democracy in Hong Kong will only drive Taiwan away. This was the first time a US leader had officially commented on the relationships among Taiwan, China and Hong Kong. His straight talk in the face of Chinese pressure tallied with the basic US principle of safeguarding freedom and democracy, and was highly praised by activists in Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Cheney's China visit was a successful one that had a symbolic diplomatic meaning. It highlighted Sino-US relations as a strategic partnership without sacrificing basic values, and saved the host country's face without hurting either Taiwan's security or Hong Kong's democracy. Most importantly, Cheney's state visit to China created maneuvering room for future cross-strait relations between Taiwan's presidential race and the upcoming US election.
Two weeks ago, Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) raised hackles in Taiwan by posting to her 2.6 million Instagram followers that she was visiting “Taipei, China.” Yeoh’s post continues a long-standing trend of Chinese propaganda that spreads disinformation about Taiwan’s political status and geography, aimed at deceiving the world into supporting its illegitimate claims to Taiwan, which is not and has never been part of China. Taiwan must respond to this blatant act of cognitive warfare. Failure to respond merely cedes ground to China to continue its efforts to conquer Taiwan in the global consciousness to justify an invasion. Taiwan’s government
This month’s news that Taiwan ranks as Asia’s happiest place according to this year’s World Happiness Report deserves both celebration and reflection. Moving up from 31st to 27th globally and surpassing Singapore as Asia’s happiness leader is gratifying, but the true significance lies deeper than these statistics. As a society at the crossroads of Eastern tradition and Western influence, Taiwan embodies a distinctive approach to happiness worth examining more closely. The report highlights Taiwan’s exceptional habit of sharing meals — 10.1 shared meals out of 14 weekly opportunities, ranking eighth globally. This practice is not merely about food, but represents something more
In an article published on this page on Tuesday, Kaohsiung-based journalist Julien Oeuillet wrote that “legions of people worldwide would care if a disaster occurred in South Korea or Japan, but the same people would not bat an eyelid if Taiwan disappeared.” That is quite a statement. We are constantly reading about the importance of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), hailed in Taiwan as the nation’s “silicon shield” protecting it from hostile foreign forces such as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and so crucial to the global supply chain for semiconductors that its loss would cost the global economy US$1
Concerns that the US might abandon Taiwan are often overstated. While US President Donald Trump’s handling of Ukraine raised unease in Taiwan, it is crucial to recognize that Taiwan is not Ukraine. Under Trump, the US views Ukraine largely as a European problem, whereas the Indo-Pacific region remains its primary geopolitical focus. Taipei holds immense strategic value for Washington and is unlikely to be treated as a bargaining chip in US-China relations. Trump’s vision of “making America great again” would be directly undermined by any move to abandon Taiwan. Despite the rhetoric of “America First,” the Trump administration understands the necessity of
RSS