China must talk to the democratically elected government of Taiwan, the US' top diplomat told Chinese leaders yesterday, also warning that Washington took a dim view of Beijing's military policies.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the US was encouraged by the recent contact between China and Taiwanese opposition parties, but was also worried about China's military build-up.
"We do think cross-straits [sic] contacts are a good thing. And to the degree that the Chinese government has been engaging in those cross-straits contacts, we think it's good," Rice told reporters after meeting with President Hu Jintao (
"We hope that that would extend to contacts with the elected government of Taiwan, because that would be also very good," Rice said.
Leaders from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), People First Party and New Party have visited China in recent months in what they describe as an effort to improve ties.
However, critics have said the meetings were thinly-veiled attempts by Beijing to foster political discord in Taiwan as part of a "divide and conquer" strategy.
Beijing was seeking to isolate and put pressure on President Chen Shui-bian (
Rice also highlighted Washington's uncertainty regarding China's intentions in the Taiwan Strait, saying the US government -- not just the Pentagon -- had concerns about China's military buildup.
She emphasized, however, that that the US did not necessarily view China as a threat.
"There is no doubt that we have concerns about the size and pace of the Chinese military buildup and it's not just the Pentagon," Rice told a news conference after the meeting.
"That does not mean that we view China as, quote-unquote, a threat," she said, adding that the Chinese military buildup raised concerns about the balance of power in the region.
Rice's comments come as the Pentagon works with several other US government agencies on a report about China's growing military clout. The US Department of Defense has no target date in mind for the release of the 2005 annual report, officially required to be delivered to Congress by March 1.
There was speculation it was being delayed until after Rice's trip to China because, in the past, Beijing has objected strongly to its portrayal in such reports as a growing threat to the military balance in Asia.
US defense sources told the Taipei Times that this year's report "will definitely not be welcomed by Beijing." The 2005 report would take a harder line on China than in previous years, the sources said.
Meanwhile, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said it welcomed Rice's call for China to talk directly with the government.
"Rice's appeal is in compliance with our basic stance. We have consistently asked the Beijing government not to only contact our opposition parties but to also engage in dialogue with our popularly elected government," MAC Chairman Joseph Wu (
Noting that Taiwan and China have a very robust economic relationship, Rice said the US encourages "as much contact as possible" between Taiwan and China.
Wu said he welcomes Rice's comments, adding that Beijing should understand that it will only see progress in cross-strait relations through dialogue with the government.
Rice was due to leave China late yesterday for Thailand.
NO HUMAN ERROR: After the incident, the Coast Guard Administration said it would obtain uncrewed aerial vehicles and vessels to boost its detection capacity Authorities would improve border control to prevent unlawful entry into Taiwan’s waters and safeguard national security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after a Chinese man reached the nation’s coast on an inflatable boat, saying he “defected to freedom.” The man was found on a rubber boat when he was about to set foot on Taiwan at the estuary of Houkeng River (後坑溪) near Taiping Borough (太平) in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), authorities said. The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) northern branch said it received a report at 6:30am yesterday morning from the New Taipei City Fire Department about a
IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing. BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X. The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said
CHINA POLICY: At the seventh US-EU Dialogue on China, the two sides issued strong support for Taiwan and condemned China’s actions in the South China Sea The US and EU issued a joint statement on Wednesday supporting Taiwan’s international participation, notably omitting the “one China” policy in a departure from previous similar statements, following high-level talks on China and the Indo-Pacific region. The statement also urged China to show restraint in the Taiwan Strait. US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and European External Action Service Secretary-General Stefano Sannino cochaired the seventh US-EU Dialogue on China and the sixth US-EU Indo-Pacific Consultations from Monday to Tuesday. Since the Indo-Pacific consultations were launched in 2021, references to the “one China” policy have appeared in every statement apart from the
More than 500 people on Saturday marched in New York in support of Taiwan’s entry to the UN, significantly more people than previous years. The march, coinciding with the ongoing 79th session of the UN General Assembly, comes close on the heels of growing international discourse regarding the meaning of UN Resolution 2758. Resolution 2758, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971, recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative of China.” It resulted in the Republic of China (ROC) losing its seat at the UN to the PRC. Taiwan has since been excluded from