The US' relationship with Taiwan, along with other nations in the region, forms "the bedrock of America's engagement in Asia-Pacific," US President George W. Bush told a business summit at the APEC meeting on Thursday.
In a speech aimed to promote greater democracy, freedom and prosperity in the region, Bush also praised Taiwan's emergence as a democratic society, and, in the same breath, urged China to "show confidence by demonstrating a commitment to greater openness and tolerance."
A copy of the speech was made available in Washington by the White House on Thursday evening.
In the speech, Bush made a point of including Taiwan in lists of both the US' leading allies in the Asia-Pacific region and examples of democracies in the region.
"Today, our alliances with Australia, Japan, South Korea, Thailand and the Philippines, and our defense relationships with Singapore, Taiwan, Indonesia and others in the region form the bedrock of America's engagement in the Asia-Pacific," Bush said.
"These security relationships have helped keep the peace in this vital part of the world. And they have created conditions that have allowed freedom to expand, markets to grow, commerce to flow and young democracies to gain in confidence and prosperity," he said.
Bush termed Taiwan's evolution into a democracy, along with the expansion of freedom and democracy in other countries in the area, "one of the great stories of our time."
Noting that at the end of World War II, Australia and New Zealand were the only democracies in Asia, Bush said: "Since then, we have witnessed Japan's transformation into a thriving free society, the triumph of democracy in the Philippines [and] democratic transitions in Taiwan, South Korea and Indonesia."
As Bush did in earlier speeches in his presidency when urging greater global democracy, he pointed to Taiwan as an example of democratic development that China could follow.
"We will encourage China to open up its political system and give greater voice to its people. As our relationships with South Korea and Taiwan during the Cold War prove, it is possible to maintain friendships and push toward democracy at the same time," he said.
Those last comments echo almost identical statements Bush made in June in a speech in Prague celebrating the birth of democracy in the wake of World War II and the decades of Soviet domination in East Europe.
The comments also recall the post-war period in which the US stood behind the repressive Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) rule in Taiwan as an apparent message that Washington is willing to similarly back a repressive rule by Beijing in hope that China might some day emulate Taiwan's development into a full-fledged democracy.
In the speech, Bush proposed a "new Asia Pacific Democracy Partnership," in which "free nations will work together to support democratic values, strengthen democratic institutions and assist those who are working to build and sustain free societies across the Asia-Pacific region."
"We are determined to help this region become a place of hope and opportunities where every man, woman and child has a chance to achieve their God-given potential and build a better life," he said.
It was not clear whether Taiwan would be admitted to this partnership, or what role it would play if admitted.
Commenting on Bush's speech, Johnny Chiang (江啟臣), a research fellow at the Chinese Taipei APEC Study Center, said: "Through the speech, Bush warned China in a highly skillful way."
By emphasizing democracy at the beginning of the speech, Bush expressed the US' position that it would not compromise democracy and would try to block China's rise with the democratic allies mentioned, Chiang said.
By saying one of the best ways to strengthen the forces of freedom and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region is through the expansion of trade and investment, Bush was saying free trade should be built on democracy, Chiang said.
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