US Vice President Dick Cheney's statements on the Taiwan issue during his visit to China signal that Taiwan-US relations are back on track after a string of aberrations caused by the referendum, election disputes and American Institute in Taiwan Chairwoman Therese Shaheen's resignation. Cheney's neutral stance helps redress US President George W. Bush's turn toward China during talks with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (
Although Cheney reiterated the policy that the US does not support Taiwan's independence, opposes unilateral changes to the status quo and urges cross-strait negotiations, he said for the first time that US arms sales to Taiwan are prompted by China's missiles aimed at Taiwan, adding that the US arms sales follow Taiwan Relations Act (TRA). Not only were his remarks reported by China's state-run news agency but he reiterated this stance at Shanghai's Fudan University.
Cheney's China visit reflects that international relations are functioning smoothly after being distorted by the recent presidential election campaign. It further shows that Taiwan's control of the diplomatic damage wrought by the referendum and Shaheen's resignation has taken effect. Taiwan exercised damage control before Cheney's visit: former minister of foreign affairs Eugene Chien (簡又新) stepped down for supervisory negligence over Shaheen's departure. Chien's resignation has effectively absorbed the discord between Taiwan and the US, and is a sign that Taiwan has come out of the election uncertainty and that Taiwan-US relations have returned to a routine track.
Cheney arrived in Beijing on April 13, the day before China's Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Li Weiyi (李維一) decried President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) push for a new constitution by 2006 as pushing for Taiwan's independence. Earlier, the office also called the TRA inappropriate. But this time, Cheney's actions differed from those of Bush, who echoed Wen's unfavorable remarks about Taiwan during their talk. Washington's stance has become more flexible, so it again can play the role of a mediator in cross-strait relations.
Apart from declaring that plans for US arms sales to Taiwan remain unchanged, Cheney also advised China to negotiate with Taiwan. This promotes Chen's ideas for resuming cross-strait talks after his re-election, for building a "peace and stability" framework for cross-strait interactions and for appointing a Taiwan representative to Beijing.
Cheney also called on China not to oppress freedom and democracy at home or in Hong Kong. Since the implementation of "one country, two systems" in Hong Kong is a very important indicator for Taiwan, Beijing's oppression of democracy in Hong Kong will only drive Taiwan away. This was the first time a US leader had officially commented on the relationships among Taiwan, China and Hong Kong. His straight talk in the face of Chinese pressure tallied with the basic US principle of safeguarding freedom and democracy, and was highly praised by activists in Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Cheney's China visit was a successful one that had a symbolic diplomatic meaning. It highlighted Sino-US relations as a strategic partnership without sacrificing basic values, and saved the host country's face without hurting either Taiwan's security or Hong Kong's democracy. Most importantly, Cheney's state visit to China created maneuvering room for future cross-strait relations between Taiwan's presidential race and the upcoming US election.
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