A US official denied that President George W. Bush had called President Chen Shui-bian (
The US official told the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Washington that Bush did not make any such comment.
The statement was made to put to rest concerns over remarks by Jia Qinglin (
Jia said that Bush had described Chen as a troublemaker in his meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao (
Jia made this comment when he received a Taiwanese delegation, led by Jenny Ma (馬愛珍), chairwoman of the Taiwan Women Entrepreneurs Association, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
It was learned that Taipei's representatives to the US on Wednesday had checked with a US Department of State official who knew the content of the Bush-Hu meeting. After cross-checking the meeting record, the US official said, as far as he understood, Bush did not describe Chen as a "troublemaker."
The US reportedly also felt annoyed by Jia's comment. It is generally believed that Jia has attempted to play the US card to affect Taiwan's presidential election next March, while trying to avoid arousing resentment among Taiwanese by having Beijing intervene directly.
It was understood, according to the US official, that Bush had reiterated the US pledge to abide by the "one China" policy during the meeting with Hu. Bush also expressed his opposition to Taiwan declaring independence, according to the US official.
It is known that "not supporting Taiwan's independence" is the wording Bush's aides used in the information sheets they prepared for the US president. But Bush said both "not supporting Taiwan's independence" and "opposing Taiwan's independence" in his meeting with the Chinese leader. Neither the White House nor the State Department corrected Bush's statement.
However, Bush has never publicly expressed his opposition to Taiwan's independence.
Bush did not clarify himself when Hu told the press after their meeting that Bush had said he "opposes Taiwan independence." Nor did senior White House officials try to offer explanations in the briefing following the Bush-Hu talks.
The US official merely said Bush had told Hu that the US doesn't support Taiwan moving toward independence.
The official also reiterated an earlier statement by National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice that the US doesn't want either side of the Taiwan Strait changing the status quo unilaterally in a way that would upset peace and stability.
Translated by Jackie Lin
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
SHOT IN THE ARM: The new system can be integrated with Avenger and Stinger missiles to bolster regional air defense capabilities, a defense ministry report said Domestically developed Land Sword II (陸射劍二) missiles were successfully launched and hit target drones during a live-fire exercise at the Jiupeng Military Base in Pingtung County yesterday. The missiles, developed by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST), were originally scheduled to launch on Tuesday last week, after the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday long weekend, but were postponed to yesterday due to weather conditions. Local residents and military enthusiasts gathered outside the base to watch the missile tests, with the first one launching at 9:10am. The Land Sword II system, which is derived from the Sky Sword II (天劍二) series, was turned