Government welcomes reassurances by US

The government gave a guarded welcome yesterday to the US' assurances that it would honor its obligations to Taiwan, while academics advised innovative but low-key diplomatic offensives to boost the nation's international position.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said talks between US President George W. Bush and Chinese Vice Premier Qian Qichen (錢其琛) at the White House appeared to pose little threat to Taiwan's interests.

Bush, who held a one-hour meeting with Qian, said he would "honor our obligations" under the Taiwan Relations Act, which allows the US to supply defensive arms to the country.

"We are not surprised at the ongoing Sino-US exchange," foreign ministry spokeswoman Chang Siao-yue (張小月) told a regular news conference. "But we hope they will not make any deals that are harmful to Taiwan." Chang urged the Bush administration to separate its relations with Beijing from those with Taipei and indicated that the ministry is "cautiously optimistic" about US-Taiwan ties.

Her boss, Tien Hung-mao (田弘茂), seeking to cash in on the change of power in the White House, has repeatedly called on the new US president to drop the "three no's" policy that says Washington will not back Taiwan independence.

Diplomats across the strait have launched public relations campaigns aimed at swaying the outcome of upcoming arms talks between Taipei and Washington.

Qian has openly warned against US sales of advanced weapons to Taiwan, saying the sales would seriously harm bilateral relations and intensify cross-strait tensions. While wary of commenting on Qian's US trip, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said that the Chinese attempts to thwart the country's arms purchases has a "negative effect" on cross-strait interplay.

"The weapons Taiwan hopes to procure are prompted by defense needs," MAC Vice Chairman Lin Chong-pin (林中斌) said, asking the US not to cave in to any external pressure but handle the issue in accordance with the Taiwan Relations Act.

The steep Chinese military buildup in recent years, he pointed out, poses a threat to Taiwan's security and regional stability.

Bush, before starting his closed-door talks with Qian, said he would be "firm" on his stance.

Edward Chen (陳一新), who lectures on US studies at Tamkang University, cast Bush's remarks as little more than cosmetic.

"By saying he has obligations to keep, Bush simply wanted to sound diplomatic," Chen said.

He suggested Taiwan seek accession to less sensitive global bodies such as the WTO, IMF and WHO to break its diplomatic isolation. "It doesn't matter as much if Taiwan can't get AEGIS-equipped warships," he said.

The political scientist said that if full membership proves to be impossible, the country should still try to join as an observer.

Johan Chiou (裘兆琳), a research fellow at Academia Sinica, shared Chen's views.

"Every US president comes into office promising to honor certain policies," Chiou said. "Some seek to fulfill their pledges while others don't even give them the time of day once elected."

She noted that in 1994 former president Bill Clinton promised to help Taiwan join international governmental bodies, but then did little to make good on the pledge during his eight years in office.

Taking a step further, Chiou said fellow diplomats should tell their US counterparts that the US can't push for cross-strait dialogue on the one hand while treating Taipei as a local government on the other. "Taiwan should make clear it will sit at the negotiation table if Beijing promises to treat it as an equal," Chiou said.