As US President Barack Obama reshuffles his top staff in preparation for next year’s presidential election, there could be substantial change in the administration’s Asia team with implications for US policy on Taiwan.
The White House doors are spinning with a series of major developments in the past week and more are expected in the weeks and months to come.
In the past few days, Wall Street executive William Daley has been appointed as the president’s new chief of staff; Gene Sperling, a counselor to US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, was given the top economic policy job; and press secretary Robert Gibbs, a close presidential confidant, stepped down to become an -outside -political adviser.
These big moves within the administration are thought certain to herald other changes further down the ladder, including within the Asia team.
“Several senior Obama administration Asia officials are set to either leave government or move to new jobs within the bureaucracy as the White House tries to hit the reset button on US-China relations,” Foreign Policy magazine reported.
A post on the magazine’s Web site, dealing with behind the scenes foreign policy developments in Washington, said that US Deputy Secretary of State Jim Steinberg “has been rumored to be leaving State for a long time now, but still remains at his post and is very active on Asia policy.”
Sources have told Foreign -Policy magazine that Steinberg never intended to stay more than two years, “but has not yet found the right job to justify him leaving.”
However, the magazine added that Jeffrey Bader, the National Security Council senior director for Asia, will leave soon. Bader and US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell have been jointly responsible for driving current US-China policy.
According to insiders, Campbell — who could eventually get Steinberg’s job — is rather more sympathetic toward Taiwan than Bader, who is less hawkish on China.
Bader could also be replaced by Japan expert Daniel Russell, who currently works under Bader. In Bader’s position, Russell would likely push for a closer relationship with Tokyo, which in turn could benefit Taiwan.
Foreign Policy magazine also said that Campbell’s principal deputy Joe Donovan is being considered for an ambassadorship, possibly to South Korea or Cambodia. Another of Campbell’s deputies, David Shear, is to be the next US ambassador to Vietnam. Thus, there could be two vacancies in an area that is heavily involved in US-China-Taiwan relations.
On top of these developments, Newsweek has reported that US ambassador to China Jon Huntsman — a former governor of Utah — might resign this year to seek the Republican Party presidential nomination for next year.
Huntsman, who once served as a Mormon missionary in Taiwan, is widely praised for his work in Beijing and is believed to retain a strong interest in Taiwan.
If he was to win the Republican nomination to challenge Obama — something that is far from certain — he would be one of the most knowledgeable presidential candidates ever on Asian affairs in general and Taiwan policy in particular.
The US government has signed defense cooperation agreements with Japan and the Philippines to boost the deterrence capabilities of countries in the first island chain, a report by the National Security Bureau (NSB) showed. The main countries on the first island chain include the two nations and Taiwan. The bureau is to present the report at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee tomorrow. The US military has deployed Typhon missile systems to Japan’s Yamaguchi Prefecture and Zambales province in the Philippines during their joint military exercises. It has also installed NMESIS anti-ship systems in Japan’s Okinawa
TRAGEDY STRIKES TAIPEI: The suspect died after falling off a building after he threw smoke grenades into Taipei Main Station and went on a killing spree in Zhongshan A 27-year-old suspect allegedly threw smoke grenades in Taipei Main Station and then proceeded to Zhongshan MRT Station in a random killing spree that resulted in the death of the suspect and two other civilians, and seven injured, including one in critical condition, as of press time last night. The suspect, identified as a man surnamed Chang Wen (張文), allegedly began the attack at Taipei Main Station, the Taipei Fire Department said, adding that it received a report at 5:24pm that smoke grenades had been thrown in the station. One man in his 50s was rushed to hospital after a cardiac arrest
PUBLIC SAFETY: The premier said that security would be tightened in transport hubs, while President Lai commended the public for their bravery The government is to deploy more police, including rapid response units, in crowded public areas to ensure a swift response to any threats, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after a knife attack killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei the previous day. Lai made the remarks following a briefing by the National Police Agency on the progress of the investigation, saying that the attack underscored the importance of cooperation in public security between the central and local governments. The attack unfolded in the early evening on Friday around Taipei Main Station’s M7 exit and later near the Taipei MRT’s Zhongshan
ON ALERT: Taiwan’s partners would issue warnings if China attempted to use Interpol to target Taiwanese, and the global body has mechanisms to prevent it, an official said China has stationed two to four people specializing in Taiwan affairs at its embassies in several democratic countries to monitor and harass Taiwanese, actions that the host nations would not tolerate, National Security Bureau (NSB) Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) said yesterday. Tsai made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, which asked him and Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) to report on potential conflicts in the Taiwan Strait and military preparedness. Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) expressed concern that Beijing has posted personnel from China’s Taiwan Affairs Office to its
RSS