Taiwan must respond to the imbalance in military might across the Taiwan Strait and show that it has the determination to defend itself, a former US diplomat said yesterday during a visit to Taiwan.
"The growth of China's military power has caused grave concern in the international community and Taiwan should take notice of the situation and express its resolve to protect itself," Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) quoted former US deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific Affairs Randall Schriver as saying.
Wang and Schriver talked behind closed doors for about an hour at the legislative compound yesterday morning.
Schriver did not disclose the contents of his conversation with Wang, but said that it was a good discussion and that he learned a lot from Wang -- as he always does when he has a chance to see him.
Wang said Schriver's visit to the legislature was mainly aimed at understanding the progress of the special bill and budget for an arms-procurement plan.
Wang said Schriver did not convey any message from the US government nor set any timetable for the passage of the long-obstructed plan. Neither did Schriver suggest how to deal with the problem, Wang said.
"I believe the US is a country that respects other countries' autonomy and [lets them] make their own decisions," he said.
The government is seeking approval from the legislature to spend NT$410.8 billion (US$12.9 billion) on advanced military equipment from the US. The package includes eight submarines, 12 maritime patrol aircraft and three anti-missile batteries.
The pan-blue camp, however, has consistently obstructed the plan at the legislature's Procedure Committee, the body that sets the legislative agenda.
While opposition parties have said the budget is too expensive and supports buying the items separately, Wang said that Schriver did not comment on the matter, saying only that all three items should be placed on a priority list.
Busy with his campaign for the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairmanship, Wang said that the arms procurement plan was a "problem for the future" when asked about how to deal with the issue.
Meanwhile, President Chen Shui-bian (
Schriver, accompanied by his wife Jordan Schriver, said during a ceremony at the Presidential Office that the decoration was a great honor for him, adding that it also marked a recognition of the US government's efforts in promoting substantive relations with Taiwan over the years.
A closed-door conversation between the president and Schriver took place after the ceremony. According to a statement from the Presidential Office, Chen expressed his gratitude to Schriver, who he said was "the first important US official to speak to the media stating the US government's opposition to the [`Anti-Secession'] Law" when China enacted it in March.
Saying it was meaningless for China to make contact with Taiwan's opposition parties and not the Taiwanese government, Chen told his visitors that while political discrepancies remained across the Strait, he would continue pushing for a reopening of cross-strait dialogue with "patience, wisdom and creativity."
When asked by Schriver whether there would be a chance for Chen to meet Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤), Chen said "the decision rests not with me or Taiwan alone but with China's sincerity in resolving mutual issues of concern and with not placing `one China' and the non-existent `1992 consensus' as pre-conditions."
Schriver stepped down from his State Department post in May and now works at a consulting firm run by former US deputy secretary of state Richard Armitage.
He arrived in Taiwan on Sunday for his four-day visit at the invitation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Aside from meeting the president, Premier Frank Hsieh (
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