Following an analysis in the Chinese-language China Times that quoted "an important US official" as saying the US could stage a coup to overthrow the current Taiwanese government in five minutes, top US officials have responded to inquiries from Taiwanese diplomats in the US by unambiguously stressing that this was not US policy, and that no US official would say anything to that effect.
Diplomats were also told that since the original report, written by the China Times' Washington correspondent Norman Fu (傅建中), did not include a source for the statement, there was no way the US could verify whether or not it had actually been said.
They were told that if someone really did say such a thing, it was thoughtless and not a policy statement.
Taiwanese government officials were said to be extremely upset about the alleged statement and saw it as a serious issue.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) officials on Thursday met with officials from the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) to find out if this was indeed the US view and requested a public explanation.
Sources say that the AIT deputy director told the MOFA officials "that this is absolutely not the US' position" and that he would convey the concerns of Taiwan's government to Washington.
According to sources, high-level Taiwanese government officials will be paying close attention to how the US government handles the follow-up to the issue as a basis for what Taiwan's next step will be.
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