Although the visit by Chinese President Hu Jintao (
"It's obvious that China not only failed to obtain anything substantial from the US, but it also lost face during Hu's visit while the US has at least gained something with the huge trade packages China signed during the visit," Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政), a political scientist at the Soochow University said.
Lo made the remarks at a press conference held by the Taiwan Thinktank to discuss the implications for US-China-Taiwan relations in the wake of the Bush-Hu meeting.
As much as Hu wanted to be seen as having the prestige of being able to stand side-by-side with the world's most powerful leader, the result of the meeting demonstrated that an unequal relationship still exists between the US and China; one between the world's superpower and a major power, he said.
"Look at the body language of the two leaders: Bush tapped Hu on the shoulder three times as if he was comforting an uneasy Hu, but Hu didn't tap back. The action of tapping his shoulder gave out the sense of a relationship between an elder and a younger person," said Lo.
With the obvious disparities of agenda between the two leaders during the meeting, Lo predicted "China bashing" would be a major theme in the run up to the mid-term elections for the US congress at the end of this year as the Republican administration is now facing growing domestic discontent related to lopsided US-China trade relations.
Lo said that future US-China relations would remain "complex" and would meet their first test when China decided whether or not to endorse the US' punitive actions against Iran in the UN Security Council meeting next week.
Reflecting on cross-strait relations, Lo said it was to the benefit of Taiwan to "hedge" against a rising China by avoiding becoming overly reliant on the economic opportunities it presents and remain cautious about the political, military and psychological threats it poses.
Vice president of the Cross-Strait Interflow Prospect Foundation Raymond Wu (吳瑞國) said the US goal of demanding China become a "responsible stakeholder," a term proposed by the State Department deputy secretary Robert Zoellick, and a theme for the Bush-Hu meeting, confirmed the decision-making influence of Zoellick in future US-China relations.
Wu also urged Taiwan to expand its interests with the US based on common values to try and outflank US-China relations, which although share joint interests, share little when it comes to democracy and freedom.
He said the Taiwanese government should take note of Zoellick's emerging importance in US-China-Taiwan affairs.
Paul Lin (林保華), a Chinese democracy activist who currently resides in Taiwan, warned that the protest of a Falun Gong member who heckled Hu during the White House ceremony may trigger even more persecution of Falun Gong in China in the future.
‘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