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
PREPAREDNESS: Given the difficulty of importing ammunition during wartime, the Ministry of National Defense said it would prioritize ‘coproduction’ partnerships A newly formed unit of the Marine Corps tasked with land-based security operations has recently replaced its aging, domestically produced rifles with more advanced, US-made M4A1 rifles, a source said yesterday. The unnamed source familiar with the matter said the First Security Battalion of the Marine Corps’ Air Defense and Base Guard Group has replaced its older T65K2 rifles, which have been in service since the late 1980s, with the newly received M4A1s. The source did not say exactly when the upgrade took place or how many M4A1s were issued to the battalion. The confirmation came after Chinese-language media reported
A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official yesterday said that a delegation that visited China for an APEC meeting did not receive any kind of treatment that downgraded Taiwan’s sovereignty. Department of International Organizations Director-General Jonathan Sun (孫儉元) said that he and a group of ministry officials visited Shenzhen, China, to attend the APEC Informal Senior Officials’ Meeting last month. The trip went “smoothly and safely” for all Taiwanese delegates, as the Chinese side arranged the trip in accordance with long-standing practices, Sun said at the ministry’s weekly briefing. The Taiwanese group did not encounter any political suppression, he said. Sun made the remarks when
The Taiwanese passport ranked 33rd in a global listing of passports by convenience this month, rising three places from last month’s ranking, but matching its position in January last year. The Henley Passport Index, an international ranking of passports by the number of designations its holder can travel to without a visa, showed that the Taiwan passport enables holders to travel to 139 countries and territories without a visa. Singapore’s passport was ranked the most powerful with visa-free access to 192 destinations out of 227, according to the index published on Tuesday by UK-based migration investment consultancy firm Henley and Partners. Japan’s and
BROAD AGREEMENT: The two are nearing a trade deal to reduce Taiwan’s tariff to 15% and a commitment for TSMC to build five more fabs, a ‘New York Times’ report said Taiwan and the US have reached a broad consensus on a trade deal, the Executive Yuan’s Office of Trade Negotiations said yesterday, after a report said that Washington is set to reduce Taiwan’s tariff rate to 15 percent. The New York Times on Monday reported that the two nations are nearing a trade deal to reduce Taiwan’s tariff rate to 15 percent and commit Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) to building at least five more facilities in the US. “The agreement, which has been under negotiation for months, is being legally scrubbed and could be announced this month,” the paper said,
RSS