A well-known US political commentator said on Saturday that the US should revise its "one China" policy as both the policy and Beijing's so-called "one country, two systems" formula are out of date and do not meet with the current political situation nor the interests of Taiwanese people.
Bruce Herschensohn, who once served as a deputy special assistant to the late US president Richard Nixon, made the comments in a speech entitled "One China Policy and the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA)," to local Taiwanese expatriates in Hacienda Heights near Los Angeles at the invitation of Ted Anderson, president of the Friends of Taiwan, a pro-Taiwan association in the US.
Talking about US President George W. Bush's upcoming visit to China which will begin next week, the commentator said that although Chinese President Hu Jintao (
Misunderstanding
According to Herschensohn, the "one China" policy actually stems from a misunderstanding of a few phrases in the "Shanghai Communique" which was signed by Nixon and Chinese leaders, which he said has never been debated nor contemplated in US academic circles or among US lawmakers.
Unfortunately, he continued, several pro-China officials in the US State Department intentionally explained the communique incorrectly so that the "one China" policy has become an operating principle in US-Taiwan-China relations.
Noting that the "one China" policy and the so-called "one country, two systems" formula are out of date, the commentator said that "they also go against the wellbeing of Taiwan people's and should be abandoned entirely."
He also described the "Anti-Secession" Law passed by China in March of this year as a "bad law," saying that this can be proved by the fact that the EU suspended its discussions related to lifting its arms ban on China after the law was passed.
US pledges
Pointing out that the US would certainly help Taiwan to defend itself in accordance with the TRA if China were to start a war against Taiwan, the commentator said that if Washington does not do as it promises, it will not only violate the spirit of the founding of the state, but will also go against the pledges made by many US presidents advocating freedom and democracy in the world.
Besides actively helping Taiwan to defend itself and providing it with sophisticated military technology, the US should also use the term "Taiwan," the correct designation for the island, when referring to Taiwan, he concluded.
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
‘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
Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) yesterday appealed to the authorities to release former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) from pretrial detention amid conflicting reports about his health. The TPP at a news conference on Thursday said that Ko should be released to a hospital for treatment, adding that he has blood in his urine and had spells of pain and nausea followed by vomiting over the past three months. Hsieh Yen-yau (謝炎堯), a retired professor of internal medicine and Ko’s former teacher, said that Ko’s symptoms aligned with gallstones, kidney inflammation and potentially dangerous heart conditions. Ko, charged with
RSS