The US, in its first detailed response to President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) "one country on each side" of the Taiwan Strait statement, has reiterated its opposition to Taiwan independence and has indicated that it is satisfied with Taipei's explanations that Chen's statements did not constitute a unilateral declaration of independence.
White House spokesman Sean McCormack said that the George W. Bush administration takes "at face value" the government's explanations issued after Chen's comments that he did not intend his remarks as a declaration of independence.
McCormack also said that the administration still stands by Bush's comments in April of last year that the US would do "whatever it took" to defend Taiwan against an attack from China.
The statements came just hours before Mainland Affairs Council Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) arrived in Washington from New York on an emergency mission to explain to US officials and think tanks what Chen meant and how his remarks affect the government's cross-strait policy.
In a press conference at Washington's Union Station, where Tsai arrived by train Wednesday afternoon, she indicated that she will have a tough job in the two or three days she is in the national's capital.
"I think that a lot of clarification is needed," she said, when asked whether she has detected concern in the US over Chen's remarks.
"I want to let the people [in Washington] understand better the situation in Taiwan. The situation is that there's no change in policy."
Early yesterday morning, Tsai held a lengthy meeting with members of two think tanks, the liberal Brookings Institution and the conservative American Enterprise Institute, which play important roles in helping form US government policy, and was scheduled to meet with Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage later in the day. It was not known whether she would meet anybody in the White House.
It is also understood that Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific, James Kelly, is interrupting a vacation to return to Washington to meet with Tsai, an indication of the importance with which the administration views Chen's remarks.
The White House's McCormack reiterated that Washington has a "one China" policy and "we do not support Taiwan independence."
He took pains to emphasize the importance of the explanations made by the DPP and Chen's government that Chen's speech did not represent a declaration of independence.
"The question at issue is whether or not Taiwan should be an independent nation. And it is our understanding that authorities on Taiwan have publicly emphasized that Chen's Aug. 3 remarks were not, in fact, a call for independence. This is what we have been told, and we take these statements at face value," he said.
Reflecting Washington's concern, McCormack called on Taiwan and China not to exacerbate the situation in the Taiwan Strait. "We continue to urge all the parties to avoid any steps that may raise tensions, threaten peace and stability. And again, we look for ... a possible resumption of dialogue between Beijing and Taiwan," he said.
SEPARATE: The MAC rebutted Beijing’s claim that Taiwan is China’s province, asserting that UN Resolution 2758 neither mentions Taiwan nor grants the PRC authority over it The “status quo” of democratic Taiwan and autocratic China not belonging to each other has long been recognized by the international community, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday in its rebuttal of Beijing’s claim that Taiwan can only be represented in the UN as “Taiwan, Province of China.” Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) yesterday at a news conference of the third session at the 14th National People’s Congress said that Taiwan can only be referred to as “Taiwan, Province of China” at the UN. Taiwan is an inseparable part of Chinese territory, which is not only history but
CROSSED A LINE: While entertainers working in China have made pro-China statements before, this time it seriously affected the nation’s security and interests, a source said The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) late on Saturday night condemned the comments of Taiwanese entertainers who reposted Chinese statements denigrating Taiwan’s sovereignty. The nation’s cross-strait affairs authority issued the statement after several Taiwanese entertainers, including Patty Hou (侯佩岑), Ouyang Nana (歐陽娜娜) and Michelle Chen (陳妍希), on Friday and Saturday shared on their respective Sina Weibo (微博) accounts a post by state broadcaster China Central Television. The post showed an image of a map of Taiwan along with the five stars of the Chinese flag, and the message: “Taiwan is never a country. It never was and never will be.” The post followed remarks
INVESTMENT WATCH: The US activity would not affect the firm’s investment in Taiwan, where 11 production lines would likely be completed this year, C.C. Wei said Investments by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) in the US should not be a cause for concern, but rather seen as the moment that the company and Taiwan stepped into the global spotlight, President William Lai (賴清德) told a news conference at the Presidential Office in Taipei yesterday alongside TSMC chairman and chief executive officer C.C. Wei (魏哲家). Wei and US President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday announced plans to invest US$100 billion in the US to build three advanced foundries, two packaging plants, and a research and development center, after Trump threatened to slap tariffs on chips made
CONSISTENT COMMITMENT: The American Institute in Taiwan director said that the US would expand investment and trade relationships to make both nations more prosperous The US would not abandon its commitment to Taiwan, and would make Taiwan safer, stronger and more prosperous, American Institute in Taiwan Director Raymond Greene said. “The US’ commitment to Taiwan has been consistent over many administrations and over many years, and we will not abandon our commitment to Taiwan, including our opposition to any attempt to use force or coercion to change Taiwan’s status,” he said in an exclusive interview with the Liberty Times (the sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) on Friday last week, which was published in the Chinese-language newspaper yesterday. The US would double down on its efforts
RSS