Beijing strongly objected to the sale, which still has to be approved by the US Congress and Taiwan's legislature, adding an additional issue to US-China relations when Washington was counting on Bei-jing's cooperation on North Korea.
US State Department officials have hung onto the 2000 "four noes," framing them as a personal commitment from Chen to US President George W. Bush, which would explain the administration's reaction to any statement it considers to be in contravention of the "four noes."
But North Korea has come to dominate the working of the department's East Asia and Pacific bureau, to the detriment of US-Taiwan relations, many people feel.
One source says the bureau has been taken over by the "Kimchee club," a reference to Hill's emphasis on North Korea as a policy issue.
Hill himself is reported to have said to Bush at one time that he was the "Deputy Secretary for North Korea," a description that did not make Bush happy, sources say.
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