President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) has sent a personal message to US President George W. Bush asking for enhanced arms sales and better communications between Taiwan officials in Washington and the US government.
Legislative Yuan speaker Wang Jin-pyng (
According to People First Party Legislator Diane Lee (
The first was on arms sales. "The president mentioned the large military gatherings and troop exercises in China, and he emphasized the need of Taiwan in the future for military equipment from the United States, and he asked for support from the Bush administration," Lee told the Taipei Times.
The second point regarded communications between Taiwan officials based in Washington and their US counterparts.
"Our president wants the Bush administration to enhance the relationship with our officials [in the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Relations Office], so that they can have a better understanding on Taiwan issues," Lee said.
Communication between the cultural relations office and the US government remains limited by the unofficial nature of the relationship between Taipei and Washington.
Bush administration officials have indicated that they may not be able to make a final decision on many arms sales issues in time for scheduled April talks between Taiwan and the US, as they may not have their foreign policy fully in place by then.
"They will do something [in April], but not necessarily the whole package," DPP lawmaker Parris Chang (
"April comes very quickly, and I would think that the administration officials will not yet be in place ... they will take their time and make the right decision," Chang said.
Chang, the chairman of the Legislative Yuan's Foreign Relations Committee, said he expects Washington to approve the sale of Kidd-class destroyers, but anticipates the Bush administration will not immediately approve the sale of destroyers equipped with the AEGIS radar system.
Nor will Washington approve the sale of diesel submarines to Taiwan, Chang said.
"Certainly I don't have much hope on [the subs], because whether Republican or Democrat, [US officials] see that as an offensive weapon," he said.
"But AEGIS is an entirely different matter," Chang said. "They know that Taiwan has to strengthen its missile defense capability ... and they are going to make decisions along that line."
The group of 30 Taiwan representatives said they were generally encouraged by their visits with Bush officials, congressmen, as well as conservative think tanks generally sympathetic toward Taiwan.
Overall, the new administration is "much more sympathetic to Taiwan's situation and they are more friendly to Taiwan in the sense that they don't see Taiwan as a troublemaker, they see Taiwan as an opportunity," Chang said.
Regarding Colin Powell, US secretary of state, "I am confident that he understands Taiwan," said Chen Chien-jen (
"He understands the interests and concerns of the Republic of China. He has been there. He certainly would like to see that peace and stability will be maintained in that area," Chen said.
Lee said that the new administration would have a more consistent Taiwan policy than former president Bill Clinton.
"The Bush administration's China policy would be more clear and more predicable, not as ambiguous as the Clinton administration," she said.
Lee noted that many of Bush's top foreign policy picks have had experience in earlier administrations and had proved their commitment to Taiwan.
Nevertheless, some of the visiting Taiwan representatives said the members of Congress they had met during their trip were ambivalent about supporting the Taiwan Security Enhancement Act, which would strengthen military ties between the US and Taiwan.
Powell also said during his confirmation hearing that the administration was undecided on the bill, indicating that the proposal may languish again in congress this year as it did last year.
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