Print

Mail

wiki links

Cabinet plays down US remark

The nation should not overreact to a remark made by US President George W. Bush over the weekend that the US opposed Taiwan independence, Cabinet Spokesman Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday.

"We should pay attention to the US government's direction on Taiwan policy but at the same time we should have faith in Taiwan-US relations because the US government is not changing its stance to one that could harm us," Lin said.

During a meeting with Chinese President, Hu Jintao (胡錦濤), on the sidelines of a G8 summit in Evian, France, on Sunday, Bush reiterated the US government's stance of adhering to the "one China" policy and opposing independence for Taiwan.

It marked the first time the US leader publicly expressed opposition to Taiwanese independence.

According to China's Xinhua News Agency, during the talks, Hu blamed Taiwan for increasing cross-strait tension while the Chinese government had been doing its utmost to strive for peaceful reunification.

"The problem is that the Taiwanese authorities reject the `one China' principle and the pro-independence forces in Taiwan are still carrying out all-out separatist activities," Hu said. "This has been the fundamental reason behind the tension in the Taiwan Strait region and the stagnation of cross-straits relations."

Hu also expressed the Beijing's hope that the US would strictly abide by its promise on the Taiwan issue, handle the issue properly and not send wrong signals to the "pro-independence forces."

A reliable source at the Presidential Office yesterday said that he was not at all surprised to learn of Bush's remark.

"Taiwan-US relations remain solid and our communication channels with the US remain smooth," the source said. "We had known in advance about what kind of issues Bush and Hu would talk about during the meeting and what answers Bush would give his counterpart. Basically, they were stating each other's bottom line on the Taiwan issue."

Andy Chang (張五岳), director of the Institute of China Studies at the Tamkang University, said that he did not see any change in the Bush administration's policy on Taiwan.

"My personal interpretation of his message is that the US government would like to see the status quo continue across the Taiwan Strait and that it wouldn't let China use Taiwan as a bargaining chip in Sino-US relations," Chang said.

Former US presidents never publicly expressed their opposition to Taiwan's independence because it was unnecessary, especially during KMT rule when independence was not an issue, he said.

"Although President Bush came out to publicly oppose Taiwan independence, its Taiwan policy has been consistent and remained structurally unchanged," he said.

Chang construed China's request for the US to express its stance on Taiwan as a result of Beijing's anxiety over Taiwan's presidential election in March.
This story has been viewed 2213 times.