Presidential Office Secretary-General Yu Shyi-kun has appealed to the US government and the US Congress to give President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) more time to respond to the latest developments in cross-strait relations in order to develop a consensus within his party and the nation before committing to a course of action.
Yu made the plea during the first of two days of meetings with US officials, members of Congress and others.
Yu detailed the government's opposition to the "two sides of the Strait, one country" formula proposed by People First Party Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) and Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) after their recent meeting in Beijing.
Yu also thanked Washington for its opposition to the "Anti-Secession" Law that Beijing enacted in March, and for its opposition to the lifting of the EU arms embargo on China.
Yu arrived in Washington from New York on Wednesday evening and met with think tanks and congressmen. On Thursday he had lunch at the Taiwan-run Twin Oaks mansion, where it is believed he was joined by various administration officials and members of Congress.
In the afternoon he met with two key Senate Democrats: West Virginia's John Rockefeller, one of Taiwan's firmest allies in Congress and a founding member of the Senate Taiwan Caucus, and California's Diane Feinstein, a personal friend of ex-Chinese president Jiang Zemin (江澤民) and a leading congressional proponent of US-China relations.
Yu was yesterday expected to have breakfast with Michael Green, a leading Asia expert at the US National Security Council, and is later expected to meet with a State Department official.
After his meeting with Feinstein and Rockefeller, Yu told Taiwanese reporters that he urged the US to give Chen more time to resolve domestic disputes arising from the Anti-Secession Law and the visits to China by Soong and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (連戰).
Chen needed more time to continue his effort to reach a consensus on cross-strait issues, Yu told the congressmen.
On Chen's plan for constitutional reform, Yu said the US government and Washington-based think tanks were not overly concerned about the first phase, which will be complete when the National Assembly approves a package of constitutional amendments in the next few weeks.
In regard to the so-called second phase, which could raise more fundamental national issues, Yu said that Chen had repeatedly vowed not to include issues such as sovereignty, the national title or the national flag.
Washington should therefore "relax" and not worry about this, he said.
Regarding the "two sides of the Strait, one country" formulation, Yu noted that even the KMT, which took part in the 1992 Hong Kong meetings that it argues should be the basis of any future cross-strait talks, has said that the formulation is a step backward from the "one China" policy. He also noted that the same sentiment was expressed in recent public opinion polls.
"We hope they understand the situation," Yu said.
Also see story:
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