Taiwan should enhance its communication with the US and work to prevent being blamed for the impasse in cross-strait relations, political analysts said yesterday, in the aftermath of recent remarks by President Chen Shui-bian (
In his Lunar New Year remarks, Chen said the time was ripe to consider scrapping the National Unification Council (NUC) and guidelines, seek UN membership under the name "Taiwan" and work toward a referendum on a new Constitution. Those comments caused an uproar in Washington, which warned Chen not to alter the "status quo" and reminded him of his inaugural pledges in 2000 and 2004, which include a promise that abolishing the council and guidelines would "not be an issue."
Chen also pledged in those speeches that during his term there would be no declaration of independence, no change of the national title, no inclusion of "state-to-state" model in the Constitution, and no referendum on independence or unification.
But the US' sharp reaction to Chen's latest remarks has in turn sparked domestic concerns that the US is interfering in Taiwan's internal affairs and harming its sovereignty.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lin Cho-Shui (
"[Chen] drew pressure from the US which humiliated our head of state, discouraged the supporters of Taiwan independence and damaged the country's sovereignty," he said, adding that the "National Unification Council and guidelines won't be abolished as the president wishes."
Lin said that the government has the executive authority to abolish the council and guidelines, and does not need legislative approval to do so, since their establishment was based on administrative orders.
"[But] now the government is unable to assert its executive power because of US pressure," he said.
An official involved in cross-strait relations who spoke on condition of anonymity was not as pessimistic as Lin, saying that the US reaction was not as severe as the media had reported, and that different branches of the US government had different responses.
"Different departments did have different concerns on cross-strait relations," he said.
The official said that although the US State Department did rebuke Chen over his remarks, other reactions from the US were more positive.
Chao Chien-min (
"This kind of cycle has happened repeatedly in the last five years. Every time the president says something to heighten cross-strait tensions, the US government says something to warn Taiwan not to do this and not to do that," Chao said.
"The more Taiwan is regarded as causing tensions, the more the US intervenes in Taiwan's internal affairs. Once Taiwan is blamed for causing the tensions, it gives China the opportunity to ask the US to say something harmful to Taiwan's national interests," he said.
Chao took as an example the US Department of State's concern over the implementation of cross-strait transportation and communication links, in a Jan. 30 press release.
"From the press release, it seemed [that the US believes] it is Taipei and not Beijing which has no intention of improving cross-strait relations," Chao said.
While the government has said that Beijing should be blamed for the impasse on cross-strait negotiations on such issues, Chao said that the US believes the impasse is due to Chen's intention to tighten cross-strait policies.
Chao was referring to Chen's recent announcement to adjust his cross-strait economic policy from "active opening, effective management" to "active management, effective opening."
Shih Cheng-feng (施正鋒), a political science professor at Tamkang University, said that the government should improves its channels of communication with the US.
"The US seems to have overreacted to Chen's remarks. The president didn't take any sharper positions than other politicians in Taiwan. On the contrary, he has been trying to offer goodwill to Beijing. It is Beijing which has given Chen nothing but the cold shoulder in return," he said.
‘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