The US informed Taiwanese officials in an official cable that the cooperative handling of Beijing's "Anti-Secession" Law was "working perfectly," an authoritative source revealed yesterday.
A debriefing of US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's recent visit to China, cabled to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US, affirmed Taiwan's response to Beijing's legislation, the source said.
Without quoting the specific wording of the statement, the official indicated that the telegraph conveyed that "Taiwan had won this round," referring to Taiwan's international image and responsible handling of its response to the law.
The Anti-Secession Law authorizes the use of "non-peaceful means and other necessary measures" against Taiwan.
It was also revealed yesterday that Rice and a high-level Chinese official had a harsh exchange on the topic of the Taiwan Strait crisis, and that the US had made clear its stance without yielding.
"There are many issues to be worked out between the US and China, but the US did not sacrifice Taiwan because of these issues," the source said of Rice's trip to Beijing.
"The US is very strongly opposed to the use of non-peaceful means to resolve the matter," the source said.
The source also ruled out recent media speculation that Beijing might yield on Taiwan's efforts to participate in the World Health Organization.
"China's unyielding stance on the matter of [Taiwan's] arms procurement [from the US] and Taiwan's participation in international organizations left the US with a bad impression," the source said.
The source made it clear that the US felt its coordination with Taiwan could continue and that Washington was not particularly concerned about today's rally in Taipei against the Chinese law.
"They asked about it, but it's not of the utmost priority," the official said, indicating that the US was not concerned about President Chen Shui-bian's [陳水扁] participation in the rally.
"They [US] have not asked who will be participating," the source said.
In addition, Japan has also made clear its disapproval of China's new law, the source said, indicating that high-level Japanese officials had called senior Chinese foreign ministry officials to express "strong opposition" to the legislation.
Earlier in the day, Mainland Affairs Council Chairman Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) also made his disapproval of the law clear, warning that unless Beijing showed respect for Taiwan's democracy "there is no chance for cross-strait relations to go in a positive direction in the short term."
"We ask humbly for [the respect of] two fundamental values: one is peace, the other democracy," Wu said.
"We are angry and we're not going to budge if China limits our freedom of expression," Wu said, urging Beijing to take a "serious look" at today's protest.
For the first time, Wu indicated that he would be participating in today's rally.
Wu also said that in order to better understand Taiwan, it would behoove Beijing to lift its travel bans on members of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU).
"If China allows the DPP, or the TSU -- people who stand on the opposite side of what they want Taiwan to be -- to visit China, then that would be the first line to understanding Taiwan," Wu said.
Council Vice Chairman Chiu Tai-san (
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