The administration of US President George W. Bush breathed a sigh of relief on Thursday after President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) inaugural address, heaping effusive praise on Chen's olive branch to Beijing and his pledge not to deal with sovereignty issues as he "re-engineers" the Constitution during his second term.
The White House welcomed the speech as "responsible and constructive."
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said, "We particularly welcome the constructive message," that Chen offered.
After months of concern that Chen would make comments that would alienate Beijing, exacerbate tensions in the Taiwan Strait and make the situation uncomfortable for the US, the Bush administration accepted the idea that Chen's agenda is aimed at working toward peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
"By making clear his administration's commitment not to take steps that would unilaterally change the status quo," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said, "underscoring its openness to seeking accord with Beijing and reaffirming previous commitments on cross-strait relations, Chen Shui-bian's address creates an opportunity for Taipei and Beijing to restore dialogue across the Strait."
The administration "welcomes these remarks as responsible and constructive," McClellan said.
"The United States urges Beijing and Taipei to seek creative means to build mutual trust and goodwill," he said.
Boucher also congratulated Chen on his inauguration.
"We particularly welcome the constructive message that was offered in his inaugural speech. We appreciate his pledge that constitutional reform will not touch on issues of sovereignty, territory or national title," Boucher said.
Echoing McClellan's remarks, Boucher urged Taiwan and China to "take this opportunity to engage in dialogue in order to resolve their differences peacefully."
The tone of official US statements was in sharp contrast to the tone the administration took last year, when Bush publicly chastised Chen for taking steps that the US saw as threatening the status quo in the Strait.
Chen and Bush's governments exchanged views about the inauguration address in the days leading up to it.
They apparently agreed on wording that the Bush administration could live with but which would still allow Chen to deliver an address that would not violate his politics or commitments nor run counter to the interests of his supporters.
The Bush administration remained apprehensive until the last minute, even though Chen and his aides had publicly told Washington that Chen would say what he in fact said.
A number of administration officials watched the speech live Wednesday night over an Internet link provided by the Government Information Office, which provided a simultaneous English translation.
McClellan pointed to a statement made by the Beijing leadership last weekend in which China threatened to destroy Taiwan over the independence issue, but which offered better political, economic and international treatment if Chen abandoned moves toward independence.
"We note that Beijing's May 16 statement ... also included some constructive elements," he said.
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