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US wants less cross-strait rhetoric

With China issuing increasingly shrill warnings about Taiwan's political developments in recent days, and Beijing's complaints to Washington apparently increasing in intensity, the US has repeated a call for both sides to back off from their rhetoric to assure stability in the Taiwan Strait.

State Department spokesman, Richard Boucher, issued the cautionary warning during his daily press briefing Monday.

"Our interest remains in maintaining stability in the Taiwan Strait. We've continued to urge Taiwan, as well as the PRC, to refrain from actions or statements that increase tensions or make dialogue more difficult to achieve," he said.

Boucher noted that US officials "always discuss this with the Chinese whenever they [the Chinese] want to."

He disclosed that Secretary of State Colin Powell talked about Taiwan with Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing (李肇星) over the weekend. That was at least the second time in recent weeks that the two men had discussed issues connected to Taiwan.

Earlier this month, the State Department disclosed that Li had "tracked Powell down" to complain over the phone about the brief meeting between Powell and President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) when they were in Panama.

"We've made clear," Boucher said, "our adherence to the three communiques as well as our obligation under the Taiwan Relations Act," which committed the US to retain unofficial relations with Taiwan after Washington switched diplomatic recognition to Beijing in 1978 and pledged a continuation of weapons sales to Taipei.

"We've also made clear we don't support Taiwan independence," Boucher said.

In the past two days, China's official media have issued scathing comments about Chen's plans to hold a referendum and write a new constitution.

The Taiwan Affairs Office of China's State Council warned that Chen's policies, which it called "separatist crimes," are "gradually dragging 23 million Taiwan compatriots into a dangerous abyss" and pledging Beijing to "deal heavy blows to anyone who attempts to split the island from China," the government-controlled China Daily said Monday.

In recent weeks, Chinese officials and media have also issued strident condemnations of Chen's transit visit to New York at the end of last month.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao (劉建超) has also condemned American Institute in Taiwan Chairwoman Therese Shaheen for her comments during Chen's New York visit that Chen and Taiwan had a "guardian angel" in President George W. Bush, and for comments it attributed to her that the US has never said it opposes Taiwan's independence.

Boucher declined to comment on the criticisms, saying he had not seen the text of Shaheen's remarks.

Last week, Powell met with former vice-premier Qian Qichen (錢其琛) in his office in Washington and Qian "warned that Washing-ton's failure to take a clear-cut line on Taiwan independence might jeopardize peace in the Taiwan Strait," according a report Monday by CNN reporter Willy Wo-Lap Lam.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (溫家寶) is expected to take a tough line on Taiwan when he visits Washington early next month.

In meetings with top officials, Wen is expected to urge the Bush administration to take a firmer stance on Taiwan's independence in advance of next March's presidential elections, some reports say.
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