Whoever wins the cliffhanger 2000 US presidential election will support democratic Taiwan, Taiwan representative to the US said yesterday.
Chen Chien-jen (
Chen said that whether the Democratic Party's Al Gore or Republican George W. Bush emerges as the final victor, the incoming US administration will continue efforts to maintain peace and security in the Taiwan Strait and will also throw its weight behind democratic Taiwan.
In his report on the current state and future prospects of Taiwan-US relations, Chen said US policy on relations across the Taiwan Strait has taken shape over the past two decades, with the three Washington-Beijing joint communiques and the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) as its guiding principles.
Moreover, he went on, US policy on cross-Taiwan Strait relations is also based on several other major elements, including the six US guarantees to Taiwan made in 1982, the Clinton administration's 1994 Taiwan policy review, President Bill Clinton's "three noes" Taiwan policy declaration made in Shanghai in 1998, the "three pillars" of US policy outlined in July 1999 -- "one China," cross-strait dialogue and peaceful solution -- and the fourth pillar twice mentioned by Clinton himself this year -- the consent of the people of Taiwan to any solution to cross-strait sovereignty disputes.
In the course of their presidential campaigns, Chen said, both Bush and Gore called for early resumption of cross-strait dialogue, peaceful settlement of cross-strait disputes, continued sales of defensive weapons to Taiwan in accordance with the TRA and the consent of the Taiwan people to a final solution to the Taiwan Strait issue.
Chen reminded lawmakers that although the Bush camp regards China as a competitor rather than a strategic partner, has voiced support for the Taiwan Security Enhancement Bill that is pending congressional approval and supports inclusion of Taiwan into the US-proposed theater missile defense (TMD) system, it remains uncertain whether Bush will really adopt those proposals if he captures the presidency.
Chen, a seasoned career diplomat, said nobody knows for sure whether a US presidential candidate will fully deliver on his campaign promises once he has secured victory.
Chen, who served as foreign minister, government spokesman and deputy representative to the US before assuming his current post, said he has had extensive contacts with both the Bush and Gore campaigns over the past few months.
Taiwan's de facto ambassador to the US assured lawmakers that the government will continue pushing the US to act as a "balancer," "stabilizer," and "promoter" in the development of cross-Taiwan Strait relations.
"We will also urge the US government to ease restrictions on high-level exchanges with Taiwan and underscore `the consent of the people of Taiwan to any resolution of the cross-strait issue' as the fourth pillar of its cross-strait policy," Chen said.
Nevertheless, he continued, the basic framework of US policy on cross-strait relations is not expected to undergo any obvious adjustments before the general international and Taiwan Strait situations see significant changes.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique