US won't sacrifice Taiwan's interests, foreign minister assures lawmakers

The US is not expected to sacrifice Taiwan's interests in exchange for China's cooperation in its war on terrorism, Minister of Foreign Affairs Eugene Chien (簡又新) said yesterday.

Chien was responding to questions from Legislator Chiou Chuei-chen (邱垂貞) during a Legislative Yuan committee meeting. The DPP lawmaker asked Chien whether the US is likely to accept Beijing's proposal to stop arms sales to Taiwan in exchange for its withdrawal of missiles aimed at the island, or to back away from its security commitment to Taiwan simply to obtain Beijing's support for its anti-terrorism operations.

In reply, Chien said the US has reiterated on many occasions that its arms sales to Taiwan are based on the Taiwan Relations Act -- the US law that regulates relations with Taiwan in the absence of formal diplomatic ties -- and its "six guarantees" to the island.

"This means that the US arms sales policy is based on the needs of safeguarding Taiwan's security and Asia-Pacific regional stability, not in terms of its relations with mainland China," Chien said. "Therefore, I don't think that the US is likely to yield to Beijing's pressure at the expense of Taiwan."

The "six guarantees" include that the US will never discuss issues regarding its arms sales to Taiwan with China, Chien said.

Moreover, Chien said that countering terrorism is a global drive. "Taiwan is also an important partner in the US-led anti-terrorism campaign," he added.

As to whether China would dismantle its Taiwan-targeted missiles, Chien said it's an issue to be discussed between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, not a topic for Beijing-Washington talks.

Commenting on Chiou's worry that the US may back off from its promise to help defend Taiwan once Taiwan no longer makes large purchases of US weapons, Chien said the worry is unfounded.

"Arms deals are only part of Taiwan-US relations, " Chien said, adding that Taiwan and the US have shared strategic interests and similar ways of thinking and values which can serve as a solid foundation for bilateral Taiwan-US ties.

In his view, Chien said, US arms sales to Taiwan are part of its efforts to maintain a military balance in the Asia-Pacific region in view of Beijing's continued expansion of its military muscle.