Powell defends Bush's handling of referendum

US Secretary of State Colin Powell Thursday defended President George W. Bush's handling of the Taiwan referendum issue, saying the message that Bush gave President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) last month had been "heard and received."

Powell made his comment in response to a question at a Department of State press conference.

"The president spoke so clearly and forcefully in support of our `one China' policy" in his comments during a meeting with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (溫家寶) on Dec. 9 that "the message was heard and received" by Chen, Powell said.

"We will see how Taiwan works itself through the referendum idea a little later on in the spring," Powell said.

"I think we've handled this very well. And when Premier Wen was here, the president gave him a solid message of reassurance with respect to our policies and what we thought the right solution was," he said.

Powell's remarks were intended to answer criticism of Bush's handling of the referendum issue by Kenneth Lieberthal, the top Asia expert in the National Security Council under the Clinton administration.

In an op-ed piece in Thursday's Washington Post, Lieberthal, now a University of Michigan professor, complained that Bush's warning during the Wen meeting "has had no discernible effect on Chen's thinking or actions. Almost immediately after the statement, Chen declared that in essence Bush did not mean what he said."

Lieberthal accused the Bush administration of sending mixed messages to Taiwan and, as a result, increasing the possibility of a disastrous blowup in the Taiwan Strait that could lead to armed conflict between the US and China.

"Unfortunately, the White House has had no visible follow-up strategy since its warning to Chen," Lieberthal wrote.

In response, Powell said that Bush's message was so clear that, "I don't know that he had to repeat the message."

During a meeting with Wen on Dec. 9, Bush said, "We oppose any unilateral decision by either China or Taiwan to change the status quo."

And, in a direct rebuke to Chen, Bush added, "The comments and actions made by the leader of Taiwan indicate that he may be willing to make decisions unilaterally to change the status quo, which we oppose."

At the same briefing, Bush did not object or correct Wen when he said that Bush told him the administration "opposes" Taiwan independence.

Bush and other members of his administration have avoided using that word, saying rather that the US "does not support" independence.