President Chen Shui-bian (
"I sincerely hope I can have the opportunity to visit Washington over the next four years ... and personally witness the sincere friendship between the peoples of Taiwan and the United States," the statement quoted Chen as telling a group of pro-independence Taiwanese-American professors in Taipei late on Saturday.
When Lee Teng-hui (
PHOTO: CNA
George Tsai (
"The United States is going to be very cautious in case they send the wrong signal to mainland China," Tsai said.
The Presidential Office and the American Institute in Taiwan could not be reached for comment.
In his inauguration speech last Thursday, Chen did not repeat plans to hold a referendum on a new constitution, assuaging key ally Washington. But Beijing has lingering doubts about his pro-independence dreams.
"Tension and uncertainties between the two sides will remain in the next four years. We should not be too hopeful about future ties," said Chang Hsin-yi (
"Misjudgment and misunderstanding could easily lead to conflict," Chang added.
A resumption of dialogue, frozen by Beijing since 1999 due to a dispute over Taiwan's political status, appears unlikely.
"Deep distrust between the both sides make any kind of breakthrough impossible. The lack of trust means the chance of opening political dialogue is next to impossible," said Andy Chang (張五岳), a professor at the Institute of China Studies of Tamkang University.
Last week, the US House of Representatives passed 391-34 a resolution that included an amendment by Jim Ryun, a Republican from Kansas, initiating senior military officer education exchanges with Taiwan, according to the congressman's Web site.
The exchanges would focus on anti-submarine warfare, missile defense and C4ISR -- command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance -- which are fields identified by the US Department of Defense where Taiwan is in most need of assistance.
"This amendment will help make Taiwan more defensively sufficient, while at the same time improving its ability to fight alongside the United States in a crisis if necessary," Ryun said.
Last week, White House spokesman Scott McClellan welcomed Chen's inaugural speech as "responsible and constructive" for avoiding a showdown with China over Taiwan's political status.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
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