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Chen's weekend comments upset US

The US made clear its displeasure over President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) weekend dinner-party comments about independence and Taiwan's name, but stopped just short of criticizing him directly for those remarks.

Speaking at a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Formosan Association for Public Affairs on Sunday night, Chen said: "Taiwan will say yes to independence" and alluded to a change in the nation's official name to Taiwan, while discussing a new constitution for the country.

The only question for Taiwan, he added, was "independence or assimilation" with China.

US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack, when asked about Chen's comments on Monday, reiterated Washington's oft-stated non-support for independence and opposition to unilateral changes in the status quo across the strait.

He pointed to Chen's 2000 inaugural address "four noes" pledge to avoid moves related to sovereignty during his presidency and his 2004 inaugural pledge to keep sovereignty issues from any new constitution.

"Rhetoric that can raise doubts about these commitments is unhelpful," McCormack said.

McCormack later added that rhetoric that "contravened" those commitments was unhelpful.

But he avoided saying directly that Chen's remarks were unhelpful. The word "unhelpful" took on a special meaning in US-Taiwan relations after the State Department criticized China's passage of its "Anti-secession" Law in 2005 as unhelpful.

That characterization raised hackles in Taiwan, where it was felt that Washington had been too tame on a law that legitimized a military attack on Taiwan whenever the powers in Beijing felt it was justified.

In his regular press briefing, McCormack underscored the US role in creating the "four noes" and US expectations that they would survive after Chen's term ends.

"Inasmuch as these commitments flow from our policy requirements and our policy statements, [we expect] that they would continue to be abided by" future Taiwan presidents, he said.

While McCormack declined to directly criticize Chen, he also refused to criticize China's military expansion and threats to Taiwan, despite the fact that Beijing has an estimated 1,000 ballistic and cruise missiles aimed at Taiwan and continues a rapid military expansion aimed mainly at Taiwan.

"We have spoken to the Chinese military buildup separately," he said.

"Our position on that is well-known. We believe that any actions that would destabilize the status quo or threaten that status quo are not helpful and we would ask the parties to refrain from such activities," he said in answer to a question.

A department official later expanded on that statement, saying that the US opposed changes in the status quo "by either Taipei or Beijing," and that "statements and actions by either side that can raise tensions and threaten to undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait."

The official also described Chen's 2000 pledge on the "four noes" and his 2004 inaugural pledge to exclude issues related to sovereignty from any reforms to the constitution as the "cornerstone of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait."

In answer to a question, McCormack urged Chen to "make it clear" what his policy was and to make sure that "he continues to adhere to his previous commitments."

He also said Chen's adherence to his previous commitments "is a test of leadership, dependability and statesmanship, and his ability to protect Taiwan's own interests, its relations with others and to maintain peace and stability in the Strait."
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