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.
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