Bush gets backing of Taiwan's vice defense minister

Texas governor and Republican US presidential candidate George W. Bush would better serve Taiwan's interests than his opponent, Democrat Al Gore, Chen Bi-chao (陳必照), vice minister of national defense, said yesterday.

"Bush's winning the election will be more favorable to Taiwan on the ground that he has made more specific statements on maintaining peace across the Taiwan Strait," Chen said.

"Bush has also made clearer statements on the conditions in which the US would intervene in an armed conflict in the Taiwan Strait," he said.

Chen made his remarks yesterday during a meeting of the Legislative Yuan's Defense Committee. He was responding to questions from lawmakers about the view of the Ministry of National Defense on the US presidential election.

Although Chen favors Bush as the next US president, he did not think the Republican candidate's cross-strait policy would be much different from Democrat Al Gore's.

"Both candidates share the same view of the `one-China' principle, resolution of the Taiwan issue through peaceful means and seeking the full support of Taiwan's people in the resolution of the Taiwan issue," Chen said.

But Rear Admiral Chao Lien-ti (趙連弟), assistant deputy chief of the general staff for intelligence, said there were vital differences between Gore and Bush.

"Gore advocates the `one China' principle. In his view, if relations between the US and China sour, it would have a negative impact upon the US," Chao said. "Gore also seeks to exclude Taiwan from a [proposed theater missile defense system] in east Asia for the sake of not angering China."

Bush, on the other hand, supports "one China" as a "recognized" concept, Chao said.

"He does not want to see the breakout of an armed conflict in the Taiwan Strait. If China violates its declared principle of solving the Taiwan issue in a peaceful way, the US will apply the Taiwan Relations Act to sell [more] defensive weapons to Taiwan," he said.

"To Bush, China is a strategic competitor, rather than a strategic partner," he added.

Chao based his statements on assessment reports made by Taiwan's intelligence agencies regarding the US presidential election.

Lieutenant General Tony Sun (孫韜玉), deputy administrative defense minister, told lawmakers that China would not make any big political gestures in the wake of the US presidential election. "But it is hard to say whether it will not make any bigger moves in the near future," Sun said.

"No matter who wins the election, the strategic policy of the US government will become clearer. It will prioritize the security of the Asia-Pacific region, the triangular relations between Taiwan, China and the US, and the peace of the world," Sun said.