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US `one China' policy is a `failure': expert

"In the end, the policy is a failure, because no one knows what it is -- and in a philosophical sense, if no one knows what it is, then it doesn't exist."

John Tkacik, Heritage Foundation scholar

A former US official said yesterday in Taipei that US President George W. Bush's recent speech in Tokyo was a strong signal that he is committed to improving relations with Taiwan.

During the speech, Bush had suggested that China emulate Taiwan by giving its people more political and religious freedom and hailed Taiwan's commitment to democracy.

John Tkacik, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, made the remarks at the launch of the Chinese version of his new book Rethinking One China. Tkacik called the US' "one China" policy a `failure' because the policy's substance is exactly the opposite of the abbreviated name that is used to describe it.

Taiwan has experienced over half a century of practical independence, and Taiwan's people have begun to think of this country as an independent nation, Tkacik said.

He said that he tried to demonstrate with the book that if the name of the US' policy toward Taiwan is called "one-China" then it confuses everyone, and prevents the US and Taiwan from achieving their common strategic goals.

"Not only are Americans confused by the policy, but also the Taiwanese, and so are the Japanese, and the Europeans and Canadians, Australians and Asians. Even Chinese leaders are befuddled by the policy," he said.

"In the end, the policy is a failure, because no one knows what it is -- and in a philosophical sense, if no one knows what it is, then it doesn't exist," he said.

Tkacik said that Taiwan is at a crossroads and maintaining the Taiwanese people's sovereignty over their country and preventing China from turning it into another Hong Kong should be their top priority.

Despite saying that the US will not change its commitment to help Taiwan defend itself, Tkacik said that persistent pressure from the US' for Taiwan to avoid "provoking" China has led the Taiwanese people to feel unsure about international support for their democracy.

At the book launch, Lin Chen-yi (林正義), a research fellow at the Institute of European and American Studies of the Academia Sinica, said that the US' "one China" policy gave the totally wrong impression to other countries, namely that Taiwan is part of China.

Lin Wen-chung (林文程), a professor from the Institute of China Studies at National Sun Yat-Sen University, said that the US' "one China" policy is not in the interests of Taiwanese people as it weakens the US' position on enhancing its relations with Taiwan as well as encouraging China to step up its military deployment against Taiwan.
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