The government is seeking to allay US concerns about its policies, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mark Chen (
Chen was commenting on Presidential Office Secretary-General Chiou I-jen's (邱義仁) visit to the US.
Chen said it was very important to rebuild mutual trust between Taiwan and the US and that the government would keep in close contact with the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT).
Chen said that both the US and China were paying close attention to preparations for President Chen Shui-bian's (
Chiou, who arrived in Washington on Monday, met with senior US officials, reportedly including Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage.
Mark Chen said he did not know whom Chiou would be meeting in Washington nor what he planned to talk about there.
"I knew about his visit after reading the newspapers. I will ask him about the details of the trip after he comes back," he said.
On Monday, AIT Deputy Director David Keegan warned Taiwan not to change the cross-strait status quo, adding that the US was looking to Chen Shui-bian for "responsible, democratic and restrained leadership" during a symposium on the Taiwan Relations Act held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Francisco Hwang (黃瀧元) stood in for Mark Chen at the symposium. Mark Chen said he did not appear at the symposium because AIT Director Douglas Paal did not attend.
Without explaining why Paal could not attend the symposium, Mark Chen said that Keegan's comments were mostly identical to those of US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia James Kelly on Taiwan during a hearing of the US House of Representatives' International Relations Committee last week.
Both Kelly and Keegan warned Taiwan against moving towards independence.
Mark Chen said Taiwan had to be careful not to hurt US interests while looking after its own.
He noted that one of his utmost duties was to safeguard Taiwan's security.
Chen was speaking during a visit to the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center in Tainan. Chen was attending at the invitation of center director Thomas Lumpkin.
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