US Senator Diane Feinstein said Sunday that only by maintaining the status quo in the Taiwan Strait and increasing cross-strait bilateral exchanges can Taiwan and China solve their differences peacefully.
Addressing the annual meeting of the Asia Society in a keynote speech entitled A Rising China, Feinstein said that China's rapidly expanding military strength and the Democratic Progressive Party's taking power in Taiwan have impacted cross-Taiwan Strait stability.
Feinstein said that China has accelerated its arms build-up in recent years, with its reported military spending rising by 16 percent over the past two years. She added that the actual figure could be three times higher. She also pointed to the some 700 Chinese missiles targeting Taiwan. Feinstein said that all this is upsetting the delicate balance that has been in place in the Taiwan Strait for decades.
In Taiwan, meanwhile, landmark visits to China by opposition leaders Lien Chan (
Noting that time is on China's side, Feinstein claimed that Beijing will soon gain the upper hand in military and economic influence across the Taiwan Strait.
In light of this, she added, Washington should continue its "status quo" policy in the Taiwan Strait, while at the same time intensifying its communications with governments in both China and Taiwan to prevent any undesirable situation from occurring.
Feinstein said that China is expected to have huge influence in Asia in the future, and the US has monitored related developments closely.
She called for Washington to pay equally close attention to Asia as it does to Europe, saying that the US should establish a US-China crisis management mechanism to enable the US to effectively handle any crises that might arise.
Feinstein said that the US should increase high-level military visits with China to reduce misunderstanding and as a way to help solve cross-strait issues peacefully.
She also said she foresees increasingly closer exchanges between China and Taiwan in the commercial and cultural sectors in the years to come, and that China's booming economy will help push for democratization within the country.
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