US officials are reassuring Taiwan that no matter what Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) says about it during his summit with US President Barack Obama this week, Washington will not change its current policies.
“It is normal for a Chinese leader to raise Taiwan,” US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel told a media briefing on Tuesday.
“We will always make clear when the issue arises that we place great importance on stability across the [Taiwan] Strait,” he said. “We respect the right of the people on Taiwan to exercise their democratic rights and will continue to counsel restraint on the part of Beijing in order to maintain trust and stability.”
Photo: Reuters
Speaking at the same event, Daniel Kritenbrink, senior director for Asian affairs at the US National Security Council, said that the US respected Taiwan’s democratic process and had a long-standing position on cross-strait issues based on the “one China” policy, the six communiques and the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA).
“Our fundamental interest is in cross-strait stability,” he said.
Russel said that the US had an immensely complex relationship with China, one that was anchored in a commitment to prevent strategic rivalry and to ensure “we are working to reconcile our respective legitimate interests.”
“We are digging down on problem areas. That will be a significant dimension of the summit. We do not paper over our differences with China on important issues,” he said. “We have serious differences over what constitutes acceptable behavior in cyberspace and in maritime space — particularly in the South China Sea.”
He said there were also differences on human rights and the treatment of civil society, as well as financial and regulatory policy. Russel said that the US was not trying to contain China and that US policy was not hostile.
“The same rights that apply to the big and strong apply similarly to the small and weak. Freedom of navigation and freedom of over-flight are not rights that one country grants to another,” he said.
“Strong and important countries like China have to ensure that small neighbors have the ability to exercise those same rights,” he said.
Xi arrived in Seattle on Tuesday and is to meet with Obama at the White House later today and tomorrow.
As Xi arrived, the New York Times said that the US and China had been negotiating what could become the first arms control accord for cyberspace with a goal of announcing an agreement during Xi’s visit.
According to the newspaper, the deal would safeguard critical infrastructure during peacetime, but was not expected to cover contentious issues such as the theft of intellectual property or data.
An article by Bloomberg predicted that Xi’s visit would be overshadowed by China’s growing military assertiveness, its expanding economic espionage and its crackdown on human rights at home.
“We have to be cognizant the level of anxiety, competition and tension in our relationship is here to stay,” former US Department of State official Kurt Campbell was quoted as saying by Bloomberg.
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
Typhoon Usagi yesterday had weakened into a tropical storm, but a land warning issued by the Central Weather Administration (CWA) was still in effect in four areas in southern Taiwan. As of 5pm yesterday, Tropical Storm Usagi was over waters 120km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the southernmost tip of Taiwan proper, and was moving north at 9kph, CWA data showed. The storm was expected to veer northeast later yesterday. It had maximum sustained winds of 101kph, with gusts of up to 126kph, the data showed. The CWA urged residents of Kaohsiung, Pingtung County, Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春) to remain alert to
ONE LAST TALK: While Xi said that Taiwan was a ‘red line,’ Biden, in what is likely his last meeting with Xi as president, called for an end to China’s military activity around Taiwan China’s military intimidation and economic coercion against Taiwan are the main causes of tensions that are destabilizing peace in the Taiwan Strait, Taipei said yesterday while thanking US President Joe Biden for expressing Washington’s firm stance of maintaining peace and stability in the region. Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) met on Saturday for their third meeting and their first talks in seven months on the sidelines of the APEC forum in Lima, Peru. It was likely Biden’s last meeting as president with Xi. During their conversation, Biden reiterated the US’ opposition to any unilateral change to the “status quo” from either
Taiwan would participate in the 2026 APEC summit to be hosted by China after Beijing promised it would ensure the personal safety of attendees, Taiwanese national security sources said yesterday. The APEC Leaders’ Machu Picchu Declaration announced yesterday said that China would host the APEC summit in 2026. Beijing proposed hosting the summit shortly before this year’s gathering began on Friday, a national security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Many APEC members expressed concerns about China hosting the event and said that prior communication over the decision was insufficient, the official said. Taiwan brought up concerns about legal “guidelines” China announced in
RSS