Saying that Taiwan is aware of the clarifications made by the US concerning Secretary of State Colin Powell's recent "reunification" remarks and Washington's assertion that it would stick to the "Six Assurances," Deputy Secretary-General of the Presidential Office James Huang (黃志芳) yesterday said the explanation from the US was "positive and helpful," and that the government will continue to communicate with the US via multiple channels.
Taiwan's top representative to the US confirmed yesterday that US officials reassured him that Washington will adhere to the "Six Assurances" it made in 1982 as guidelines for its policy toward Taiwan.
During a meeting with Chinese-language media in Washington, David Lee (李大維) confirmed that Randall Shriver, US deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian Affairs, told him that the US' stance on Taiwan's sovereignty has not changed and that the "Six Assurances" remain unchanged.
The Reagan administration offered its "Six Assurances" to Taiwan after it signed a joint communique on Aug. 17, 1982 with China over arms sales to Taiwan.
Lee said that he immediately contacted the State Department to express Taiwan's "grave concern" and asked for clarification after Powell made remarks regarding the cross-strait relationship in an interview with the Hong Kong-based Phoenix TV Group during his Monday visit to Beijing.
In the interview, Powell said that "Taiwan is not independent. It does not enjoy sovereignty as a nation," and that the two sides should move forward to a "peaceful reunification."
According to Lee, Shriver reiterated in a "face to face" talk with him Tuesday that the "Six Assurances," particularly the fifth point -- namely, the US would not alter its position about Taiwan's sovereignty, and the question was to be decided peacefully by the parties involved themselves -- remain unchanged.
Meanwhile, Lee said that Powell clarified during an interview with Ron Insana of CNBC Wednesday that the words "peaceful reunification" should have been "peaceful resolution."
"The term of art really is to have a `peaceful resolution' of the problem. And that's the term of art, and that is our policy and remains our policy," Powell was quoted as saying to CNBC.
Lee said that he believes that Washington will formally reiterate its "Six Assurances" toward Taiwan again shortly, adding that he expected to be briefed by US officials about Powell's recent Beijing visit.
The "Six Assurances" stipulate that the US has not agreed to set a date for ending arms sales to the Republic of China (ROC); has not agreed to hold prior consultations with Beijing on arms sales to the ROC; will not play any mediation role between Taiwan and Beijing; has not agreed to revise the Taiwan Relations Act; has not altered its position regarding sovereignty of Taiwan; and will not exert pressure on Taiwan to enter into negotiations with Beijing.
Meanwhile, Lee said that actually, Powell has on many occasions during his talks with the Chinese leadership spoken favorably on behalf of Taiwan, including saying that the US remains firm in its stance on arms sales to Taiwan despite Beijing's strong opposition and that the US has continued to encourage Beijing to face squarely the goodwill that President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) demonstrated toward China in his Double Ten National Day address.
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to
RSS