China must talk to the democratically elected government of Taiwan, the US' top diplomat told Chinese leaders yesterday, also warning that Washington took a dim view of Beijing's military policies.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the US was encouraged by the recent contact between China and Taiwanese opposition parties, but was also worried about China's military build-up.
"We do think cross-straits [sic] contacts are a good thing. And to the degree that the Chinese government has been engaging in those cross-straits contacts, we think it's good," Rice told reporters after meeting with President Hu Jintao (
"We hope that that would extend to contacts with the elected government of Taiwan, because that would be also very good," Rice said.
Leaders from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), People First Party and New Party have visited China in recent months in what they describe as an effort to improve ties.
However, critics have said the meetings were thinly-veiled attempts by Beijing to foster political discord in Taiwan as part of a "divide and conquer" strategy.
Beijing was seeking to isolate and put pressure on President Chen Shui-bian (
Rice also highlighted Washington's uncertainty regarding China's intentions in the Taiwan Strait, saying the US government -- not just the Pentagon -- had concerns about China's military buildup.
She emphasized, however, that that the US did not necessarily view China as a threat.
"There is no doubt that we have concerns about the size and pace of the Chinese military buildup and it's not just the Pentagon," Rice told a news conference after the meeting.
"That does not mean that we view China as, quote-unquote, a threat," she said, adding that the Chinese military buildup raised concerns about the balance of power in the region.
Rice's comments come as the Pentagon works with several other US government agencies on a report about China's growing military clout. The US Department of Defense has no target date in mind for the release of the 2005 annual report, officially required to be delivered to Congress by March 1.
There was speculation it was being delayed until after Rice's trip to China because, in the past, Beijing has objected strongly to its portrayal in such reports as a growing threat to the military balance in Asia.
US defense sources told the Taipei Times that this year's report "will definitely not be welcomed by Beijing." The 2005 report would take a harder line on China than in previous years, the sources said.
Meanwhile, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said it welcomed Rice's call for China to talk directly with the government.
"Rice's appeal is in compliance with our basic stance. We have consistently asked the Beijing government not to only contact our opposition parties but to also engage in dialogue with our popularly elected government," MAC Chairman Joseph Wu (
Noting that Taiwan and China have a very robust economic relationship, Rice said the US encourages "as much contact as possible" between Taiwan and China.
Wu said he welcomes Rice's comments, adding that Beijing should understand that it will only see progress in cross-strait relations through dialogue with the government.
Rice was due to leave China late yesterday for Thailand.
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
Two US House of Representatives committees yesterday condemned China’s attempt to orchestrate a crash involving Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim’s (蕭美琴) car when she visited the Czech Republic last year as vice president-elect. Czech local media in March last year reported that a Chinese diplomat had run a red light while following Hsiao’s car from the airport, and Czech intelligence last week told local media that Chinese diplomats and agents had also planned to stage a demonstrative car collision. Hsiao on Saturday shared a Reuters news report on the incident through her account on social media platform X and wrote: “I
SHIFT PRIORITIES: The US should first help Taiwan respond to actions China is already taking, instead of focusing too heavily on deterring a large-scale invasion, an expert said US Air Force leaders on Thursday voiced concerns about the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) missile capabilities and its development of a “kill web,” and said that the US Department of Defense’s budget request for next year prioritizes bolstering defenses in the Indo-Pacific region due to the increasing threat posed by China. US experts said that a full-scale Chinese invasion of Taiwan is risky and unlikely, with Beijing more likely to pursue coercive tactics such as political warfare or blockades to achieve its goals. Senior air force and US Space Force leaders, including US Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink and
Czech officials have confirmed that Chinese agents surveilled Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) during her visit to Prague in March 2024 and planned a collision with her car as part of an “unprecedented” provocation by Beijing in Europe. Czech Military Intelligence learned that their Chinese counterparts attempted to create conditions to carry out a demonstrative incident involving Hsiao, which “did not go beyond the preparation stage,” agency director Petr Bartovsky told Czech Radio in a report yesterday. In addition, a Chinese diplomat ran a red light to maintain surveillance of the Taiwanese
RSS