The Bush administration is furious over Chinese assertions that Taiwan's delegation was not invited to the official ceremonies marking the second inauguration of President George W. Bush, and has pointedly refuted what it considers to be Beijing's deliberate misrepresentation of Washington's private statements to it on the matter.
Taiwan's delegation, headed by Academia Sinica President Lee Yuan-tseh (李遠哲), was clearly invited by the inauguration committee to this week's gala inauguration events, a senior administration official told the Taipei Times, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"The Taiwan people are represented in the same manner as they were in the 2001 inauguration, and the administration is very pleased that the people of Taiwan are represented in a celebration of democracy," the official said.
Welcomed
"We were informed that the delegation would come and that Dr. Lee would lead it, and we welcome that," the official said.
"We look forward to the opportunity to interact," with Lee and the delegation, the official added.
The official accused Beijing of trying to create the false impression that Taiwan's status was being downgraded by the Bush administration.
"It's actually quite the contrary," he said.
The administration took umbrage at a statement by the Chinese foreign ministry that Beijing "was clearly told that the US did not invite or recognize the so-called envoy delegation sent by Taiwan."
China "has expressed concerns over this to the US," the statement added.
What actually transpired in closed-door meetings after the Chinese embassy complained about the Taiwanese delegation to the State Department, was that the US side said that "technically" no government has been invited, government sources say.
Only the Washington diplomatic corps was invited.
Those diplomats, of course, could invite anybody they wanted to join them.
`Distorted'
The Chinese distorted this response to mean that Taiwan was not represented, and said as much in its public statement, US officials told the Taipei Times.
In response to the statement from China's ministry, a senior US official said that, "Dr Lee is a world-renowned scientist and has represented the people of Taiwan at four APEC summits, and is well know in the United States. We were well aware that he was coming, and welcome his visit."
"It is important for people to understand that this is at the same level as in the past," the official reiterated.
The US official also disclosed that the Taiwanese delegation, whose leading official is Mainland Affairs Council Chairman Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), will "have an opportunity for unofficial discussions on matters of mutual concern with relevant officials and members of Congress."
In the past, the US has refused to acknowledge the existence of such talks.
The reference to 2001 is significant in that Bush came into office as an unabashed supporter of Taiwan, against China, which was called a "competitor," in his election campaign. That policy was reinforced in April 2001, when Bush told a television interviewer that his administration would do "whatever it took" to help defend Taiwan, and agreed to an unprecedented multi-billion dollar arms package.
Referendum slap
But by late 2003 that policy had undergone a dramatic about-face, when Bush publicly issued a personal slap at President Chen Shui-bian's (
The White House has continued to seek better relations with China as a partner in the war on terrorism and for Beijing's aid in advancing talks to convince North Korea to end its nuclear weapons development program.
Anti-secession Law
More recently, the Bush administration's failure to publicly criticize Beijing planned anti-secession law -- that could mandate a military attack on Taiwan if it moves toward independence -- plus comments by Secretary of State Colin Powell and his deputy Richard Armitage, might also have emboldened China to feel Washington was ready to move closer to accepting Beijing's positions on Taiwan.
In recent weeks, Powell has mentioned US acceptance of Taiwan "reunification" with China, and Armitage has said Washington agrees that Taiwan is part of China.
Both statements went to the core of Beijing's "one China" principle. US officials had earlier distanced themselves from that principle.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS