In fact, peaceful resolution has become the core of "the three pillars" of US-China policy. A obvious example is that the Bush administration not only refrains from mentioning the Clinton administrations's "three nos" policy toward Taiwan but also deliberately weakens the role of the three joint communiques. At the same time, it highlights the significance of its relations with Taiwan.
The changes in the international environment have not led the administration to change its position on the Taiwan issue. After Bush received Chinese Vice Premier Qian Qichen (錢其琛) in March 2001, he said at a press conference that the US would abide by the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA). When he answered students' questions at China's Tsinghua University last February, he again expressed the US commitment to the TRA, stressing that the US would defend Taiwan should it be provoked. The aforementioned National Security Strategy also mentions the US commitment to the TRA. At the press conference following the Texas summit last October, Bush once again stated that the TRA is one of the foundations of the "one China" policy.
Because the Bush administration considers a peaceful resolution important, it encourages cross-strait dialogue to settle differences by peaceful means. The Bush administration is greatly concerned about China's military buildup, particularly its increasing missile deployments.
Under pressure from the US, China offered to remove her mobile missiles in exchange for a reduction in US arms sales to Taiwan. China knew very well that the US would not agree to such an unfair deal. When I visited Beijing and Shanghai last month, a Chinese military expert told me frankly that anyone with "common sense" would know that the US would never accept such an offer.
In sum, the Bush administration's cross-strait policy over the last two years has embraced both continuity and change. The change reflects the ups and downs in Sino-US relations, while the continuity reflects the firm US commitment to Taiwan. Sino-US relations have risen from the low ebb they reached over a year ago, but they are not the focus of our concern.
The promotion of Taiwan-US relations does not rest on a deterioration in Sino-US relations. On the other hand, the Bush administration has proved that sacrificing Taiwan's interests should not be a prerequisite for better Sino-US relations. But we should not take the present situation for granted and must continue to pay attention to the development of trilateral ties between the US, China and Taiwan. US support is only one of the factors promoting Taiwan's national security. More importantly, our people must unite to ensure that Taiwan cannot be defeated.
Lin Wen-cheng is director of the Institute of Mainland China Studies at National Sun Yat-sen University.
Translated by Grace Shaw
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