Government officials yesterday welcomed US President George W Bush's reiteration of Washington's stance on Taiwan in his talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤).
Bush met Hu at the White House in Washington on Thursday, where the two leaders discussed a wide range of issues including trade, human rights, nuclear proliferation and Taiwan.
"In his welcome speech on the White House's South Lawn, President Bush reiterated the US commitment to peace across the Taiwan Strait. [Bush said that] the US would uphold its `one China' policy based on the three Sino-US communiques and the Taiwan Relations Act, remained opposed to any side unilaterally changing the status quo, and that Taiwan's future must be resolved peacefully," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
PHOTO: EPA
"This shows that the US policy remains consistent and unchanged. This shows that the US takes the issue of peace in the Taiwan Strait seriously and remains committed to preserving that peace," the statement said.
Taiwan watched nervously as Bush and Hu held their summit at the White House, fearing that Bush might publicly criticize President Chen Shui-bian (
Although Bush did not say he was opposed to Taiwanese independence, he did say that he did not support it.
Analysts in Taiwan pointed out that Bush saying "I do not support" did not amount to a declaration of opposition.
Minister of Foreign Affairs James Huang (
Huang commented on Hu's reaction to a question from the press regarding when China would be democratized in which the Chinese president said that he didn't know the definition of "democracy."
"To most people, it's a simple question. Democracy is about people being able to choose their own leader, participate in the policy-making process and that minority opinions are respected and protected," Huang said.
Mainland Affairs Council Deputy Chairman You Ying-lung (游盈隆) said that Bush's remarks that "We [the US] believe the future of Taiwan should be resolved peacefully" dealt a severe blow to China's "Anti-secession" Law.
Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said he appreciated Bush's support for Taiwan's democracy and maintaining peace across the strait.
While extending gratitude to Bush for reaffirming the US commitment to Taiwan, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Yu Shyi-kun criticized Hu for calling Taiwan "a part of China."
Hu "upheld the `one China' principle, excluding Taiwanese freedom to opt for independence," Yu said.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday said Bush's statement on cross-strait relations was a "reiteration of the common stance shared by seven previous US presidents."
Saying the government's action on the National Unification Council had impacted on US-Taiwan relations, Ma said: "We need to be extra careful because even a seemingly insignificant act of negligence could be interpreted as changing the status quo unilaterally."
Additional reporting by Jimmy Chuang and Mo Yan-chih
Also see stories:
`Bu-Hu' meeting bedeviled by flubs
Chinese media whitewashes Hu visit
Pro-Taiwan demonstrators denounce China's buildup
Meeting with Bush only embarrassed Hu, analysts say
FORCED LABOR: A US court listed three Taiwanese and nine firms based in Taiwan in its indictment, with eight of the companies registered at the same address Nine companies registered in Taiwan, as well as three Taiwanese, on Tuesday were named by the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) as Specially Designated Nationals (SDNs) as a result of a US federal court indictment. The indictment unsealed at the federal court in Brooklyn, New York, said that Chen Zhi (陳志), a dual Cambodian-British national, is being indicted for fraud conspiracy, money laundering and overseeing Prince Holding Group’s forced-labor scam camps in Cambodia. At its peak, the company allegedly made US$30 million per day, court documents showed. The US government has seized Chen’s noncustodial wallet, which contains
SUPPLY CHAIN: Taiwan’s advantages in the drone industry include rapid production capacity that is independent of Chinese-made parts, the economic ministry said The Executive Yuan yesterday approved plans to invest NT$44.2 billion (US$1.44 billion) into domestic production of uncrewed aerial vehicles over the next six years, bringing Taiwan’s output value to more than NT$40 billion by 2030 and making the nation Asia’s democratic hub for the drone supply chain. The proposed budget has NT$33.8 billion in new allocations and NT$10.43 billion in existing funds, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said. Under the new development program, the public sector would purchase nearly 100,000 drones, of which 50,898 would be for civil and government use, while 48,750 would be for national defense, it said. The Ministry of
SENATE RECOMMENDATION: The National Defense Authorization Act encourages the US secretary of defense to invite Taiwan’s navy to participate in the exercises in Hawaii The US Senate on Thursday last week passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026, which strongly encourages the US secretary of defense to invite Taiwan’s naval forces to participate in the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise, as well as allocating military aid of US$1 billion for Taiwan. The bill, which authorizes appropriations for the military activities of the US Department of Defense, military construction and other purposes, passed with 77 votes in support and 20 against. While the NDAA authorizes about US$925 billion of defense spending, the Central News Agency yesterday reported that an aide of US
NINE-IN-ONE ELECTIONS: Prosecutors’ offices recorded 115 cases of alleged foreign interference in the presidential election campaign from August 2023 to Dec. 13 last year The National Security Bureau (NSB) yesterday said that it has begun planning early to counter Chinese interference in next year’s nine-in-one elections as its intelligence shows that Beijing might intensify its tactics, while warning of continued efforts to infiltrate the government and military. The bureau submitted a report to the Legislative Yuan ahead of a meeting today of the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee. “We will research situations in different localities and keep track of abnormalities to ensure that next year’s elections proceed without disruption,” the bureau said. Although the project is generally launched during election years, reports of alleged Chinese interference
RSS