The US made clear its displeasure over President Chen Shui-bian's (
Speaking at a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Formosan Association for Public Affairs on Sunday night, Chen said: "Taiwan will say yes to independence" and alluded to a change in the nation's official name to Taiwan, while discussing a new constitution for the country.
The only question for Taiwan, he added, was "independence or assimilation" with China.
US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack, when asked about Chen's comments on Monday, reiterated Washington's oft-stated non-support for independence and opposition to unilateral changes in the status quo across the strait.
He pointed to Chen's 2000 inaugural address "four noes" pledge to avoid moves related to sovereignty during his presidency and his 2004 inaugural pledge to keep sovereignty issues from any new constitution.
"Rhetoric that can raise doubts about these commitments is unhelpful," McCormack said.
McCormack later added that rhetoric that "contravened" those commitments was unhelpful.
But he avoided saying directly that Chen's remarks were unhelpful. The word "unhelpful" took on a special meaning in US-Taiwan relations after the State Department criticized China's passage of its "Anti-secession" Law in 2005 as unhelpful.
That characterization raised hackles in Taiwan, where it was felt that Washington had been too tame on a law that legitimized a military attack on Taiwan whenever the powers in Beijing felt it was justified.
In his regular press briefing, McCormack underscored the US role in creating the "four noes" and US expectations that they would survive after Chen's term ends.
"Inasmuch as these commitments flow from our policy requirements and our policy statements, [we expect] that they would continue to be abided by" future Taiwan presidents, he said.
While McCormack declined to directly criticize Chen, he also refused to criticize China's military expansion and threats to Taiwan, despite the fact that Beijing has an estimated 1,000 ballistic and cruise missiles aimed at Taiwan and continues a rapid military expansion aimed mainly at Taiwan.
"We have spoken to the Chinese military buildup separately," he said.
"Our position on that is well-known. We believe that any actions that would destabilize the status quo or threaten that status quo are not helpful and we would ask the parties to refrain from such activities," he said in answer to a question.
A department official later expanded on that statement, saying that the US opposed changes in the status quo "by either Taipei or Beijing," and that "statements and actions by either side that can raise tensions and threaten to undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait."
The official also described Chen's 2000 pledge on the "four noes" and his 2004 inaugural pledge to exclude issues related to sovereignty from any reforms to the constitution as the "cornerstone of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait."
In answer to a question, McCormack urged Chen to "make it clear" what his policy was and to make sure that "he continues to adhere to his previous commitments."
He also said Chen's adherence to his previous commitments "is a test of leadership, dependability and statesmanship, and his ability to protect Taiwan's own interests, its relations with others and to maintain peace and stability in the Strait."
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