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US `will defend' Taiwan

In what appears to be one of the biggest shifts in US policy toward Taiwan in two decades, President George W. Bush yesterday firmly committed the US to come to Taiwan's defense "with whatever it took" in case of an attack from China.

The statement appears to eliminate the ambiguity that has been a cornerstone of US policy since Washington formally recognized Beijing at the end of 1978.

Asked on the ABC television show, Good Morning America whether the US has "an obligation to defend" Taiwan, Bush answered "Yes, we do, and the Chinese must understand that. Yes, I would."

Asked whether that would entail "the full force of the military," he said that the US would do "whatever it took to help Taiwan defend herself."

The normally laconic Bush did not go into details.

The statement came the same day that Bush announced he plans to end the ritual of fixed-date annual arms sales to Taiwan, saying that weapons sales during the rest of his four-year term will be made throughout the year on a case-by-case basis.

Speaking of the arms sales package earlier this week, Bush told the Washington Post that "obviously we reserve the right to continue to provide defensive weapons to the Taiwanese. And, secondly, that we have made it clear to the Taiwanese that we will not have this so-called annual review -- that we will meet on an as-needed basis."

For nearly 20 years, successive US administrations have always been circumspect as to how they would deal with a Chinese attack on Taiwan, stressing their desire for a peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues. Clinton administration officials would say only that an attack would be viewed as a "serious and grave" situation.

While the 2000 Republican Party platform strongly condemned Beijing's belligerence toward Taipei, it also stopped short of committing the US to military defense of the nation.

Later, in an interview with the CBS television show, Early Show, Bush noted that one of the main areas of disagreement with Beijing is "the extent to which the United States upholds its obligations under the Taiwan Relations Act. And, as you know, I've upheld our obligations in a very serious fashion, providing equipment for Taiwan so she can defend herself."

Bush reiterated in that interview that the arms package the US is offering to Taiwan was not influenced by the US' standoff with Beijing over the 24-member crew of an EP-3 surveillance plane that made an emergency landing on Hainan Island and who were held for 11 days before being released by China.

In the Post interview, Bush called the arms package "the right package for this moment."

He also said he still plans to go to Beijing later this year for a state visit after attending the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Shanghai.

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