US President Barack Obama voiced hope on Wednesday for a further easing of tensions across the Taiwan Strait as he reaffirmed his commitment to the “one China” policy and to the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA), a law passed by the US Congress in 1979 that requires the US to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself.
Welcoming Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) for a state visit, Obama praised a major trade pact sealed last year between China and Taiwan.
“I welcome the progress that’s been made on both sides of the Taiwan Strait in reducing tensions and building economic ties,” Obama told a joint press conference. “We hope this progress continues, because it’s in the interests of both sides, the region and the United States. Indeed, I reaffirmed our commitment to a ‘one China’ policy based on the three US-China communiques and the Taiwan Relations Act.”
Photo: AFP
In a joint statement, Hu said that Taiwan “concerns China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity” and hoped the US would “honor its relevant commitments and appreciate and support the Chinese side’s position on this issue.”
During the press conference, which was disrupted by technical and translation problems, Obama touched on some of the other topics dealt with during the White House talks.
He said that the yuan was undervalued, that the two countries were expanding and deepening dialogue and cooperation between their militaries, and added that the US had a fundamental interest in regional stability, maintaining freedom of navigation and unimpeded commerce.
The two leaders agreed that North Korea must avoid further provocations.
On the delicate issue of human rights, Obama seemed to deliberately avoid being over-critical.
Although he said he was “candid” on the subject, Obama seems to have ignored congressional wishes that he bring up specific cases of abuse, such as that of jailed Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo (劉曉波).
Hu ignored a question from a US reporter on human rights, but when prodded with a follow-up, said: “China is always committed to the protection and promotion of human rights and, in the course of human rights, China has also made enormous progress, recognized widely in the world.”
However, he also acknowledged that “a lot still needs to be done.”
There is little doubt that Obama’s critics will be disappointed in the president’s failure to be more outspoken on the human rights issue.
Most of the closed-door White House talks appear to have been centered on trade, commerce and economics.
US officials said Beijing had agreed to buy 200 Boeing aircraft for US$19 billion as part of a US$45 billion export deal that is expected to create 200,000 new jobs in the US.
“We welcome China’s rise,” Obama said. “I absolutely believe that China’s peaceful rise is good for the world and it’s good for America. We just want to make sure that that rise occurs in a way that reinforces international norms and international rules, and enhances security and peace, as opposed to it being a source of conflict, either in the region or around the world.”
A lavish state dinner on Wednesday night was “quintessentially American” and included among the 225 guests stars such as Barbra Streisand, her husband James Brolin and action movie star Jackie Chan (成龍).
From big business there was Microsoft’s Steven Ballmer, from fashion there was Vera Wang and Vogue’s Anna Wintour. Artist Maya Lin, Olympic figure skater Michelle Kwan and Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer also attended.
Michelle Obama wore what one of the TV networks described as a dramatic red, off-one-shoulder, floor-length gown designed by Alexander McQueen, the British designer who committed suicide last year.
The White House served d’anjou pear salad with goat cheese, poached Maine lobster, orange glazed carrots and black trumpet mushrooms, dry aged rib eye steak with buttermilk crisp onions, double-stuffed potatoes and creamed spinach. Dessert was apple pie and vanilla ice cream.
After-dinner entertainment was provided by an all-star jazz lineup.
Three top US congressional leaders — House Speaker John Boehner, an Ohio Republican; Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat; and Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader — turned down their invitations as part of a thinly veiled snub to protest Hu’s human rights record.
Obama and Hu also held private Oval Office talks on Taiwan on Wednesday, but later refused to divulge details.
While Taipei and senior US officials are certain to have been given a full briefing, there were no leaks of the details in Washington on Wednesday night.
Analysts speculate that Obama may have told Hu that the US intends to continue selling arms to Taiwan and that Hu would have registered a strong objection, leaving both sides to simply agree to disagree.
At this early stage, there are no indications that a breakthrough — or progress of any kind — was made.
Hu was scheduled to make a public speech later yesterday before he traveled to Chicago and the end of his three-day state visit to the US.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY AFP
EIGHT-YEAR WINDOW: Avril Haines said that Beijing is closely watching the Russian invasion of Ukraine, although Moscow’s actions have not sped up Beijing’s timeline The threat posed by China to Taiwan until 2030 is “critical,” US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said on Tuesday while testifying on worldwide threats at a hearing of the US Senate Committee on Armed Services. “I think it’s fair to say that it’s critical, or acute,” Haines said when asked by US Senator Josh Hawley if she viewed the threat facing Taiwan to be acute from now until 2030. “It’s our view that they [China] are working hard to effectively put themselves into a position in which their military is capable of taking Taiwan over our intervention,” she said, without
‘DAMOCLES SWORD’: An Italian missionary said the arrest of cardinal Zen is a blow for the church in Hong Kong, China and the world, signaling great danger ahead China yesterday defended the arrest of a 90-year-old Catholic cardinal under Hong Kong’s National Security Law, a move that triggered international outrage and deepened concerns over Beijing’s crackdown on freedoms in the territory. Retired cardinal Joseph Zen (陳日君), one of the most senior Catholic clerics in Asia, was among a group of veteran democracy advocates arrested on Wednesday for “colluding with foreign forces.” Pop singer Denise Ho (何韻詩), veteran barrister Margaret Ng (吳靄儀) and cultural studies academic Hui Po-keung (許寶強) were also arrested, the latter as he attempted to fly to Europe to take up an academic post. Cyd Ho (何秀蘭), a democracy
NO CONSENSUS YET: Local governments and the CECC have agreed to change the ‘3+4’ self-isolation policy, but are still mulling what to replace it with The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) and local governments have agreed to ease restrictions on close contacts of COVID-19 cases, although the details are still being discussed, the center said yesterday. The discussions follow Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) on Saturday approving a proposal to shorten the “3+4” policy — three days of home isolation followed by four days of self-disease prevention — for close contacts who have received booster doses. “We did not reach a consensus on how to revise the current restrictions, but we all agreed that the administrative burden must be reduced and the intensity of restrictions must be eased,
OPPOSING CHINESE ‘HOSTILITY’: The bill orders the state secretary to create a plan to regain observer status for Taiwan, saying Taipei is a model contributor to world health US President Joe Biden on Friday signed a bill into law to help Taiwan regain observer status at the World Health Assembly (WHA), demonstrating Washington’s support for Taiwan’s international participation. Friday was the deadline for Biden to sign the bill (S.812), which directs “the Secretary of State to develop a strategy to regain observer status for Taiwan in the World Health Organization (WHO), and for other purposes.” The 75th WHA, the decisionmaking body of the WHO, is scheduled to meet in Geneva, Switzerland, from Sunday next week to May 28. The bill, introduced by US Senator Bob Menendez, chairman of the US Senate