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US policy shift not imminent: Wu

"Those rare few [in the US] who have had the opportunity to speak to the few key decisionmakers [in Taiwan] tend to develop a better understanding of Taiwan or [show] more sympathy for Taiwan."

Joseph Wu, Taiwan's representative to the US

A US Congressional action to urge the administration of US President George W. Bush to allow high-level meetings between Taipei and Washington could compel the administration to reverse its ban on such visits, Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), Taiwan's de facto ambassador to the US, said on Wednesday.

But such a policy shift will not happen any time soon, he said.

The lack of communication between the two countries resulting from the administration's ban on high-level meetings is provoking a negative view of statements by Taipei and actions by key US policymakers, Wu said.

Unlike the US, other democratic countries such as Australia and New Zealand, he noted, allow top foreign policy officials to visit Taiwan.

Wu made the comments in a presentation to a private meeting of academics and former administration officials at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and in a subsequent interview with the Taipei Times.

Wu described the lack of direct high-level communication as "one of the most difficult things" in US-Taiwan relations.

"There are many people, key decisionmakers in the United States who have a negative perception of certain Taiwanese decisionmakers, but do not have any opportunity to speak to them," Wu said.

While they can meet Taiwanese leaders as private citizens, "once they are in certain positions, they don't have any opportunity to talk to the key decisionmakers in Taiwan," he said.

"They are either prohibited from traveling to Taiwan or the key Taiwan decisionmakers are prohibited from traveling to Washington," he said

"Those rare few [in the US] who have had the opportunity to speak to the few key decisionmakers [in Taiwan] tend to develop a better understanding of Taiwan or [show] more sympathy for Taiwan," Wu said.

"This is something we need, and something that we hope the United States can think about," he said.

"Whenever there is a difference between Taiwan and the United States, the two countries should be required to engage in intense communications, so the two can have a better understanding of their positions with respect to each other," Wu told the Times.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday approved a bill that would urge the administration to end a longstanding ban on high-level visits between US and Taiwan foreign policy and strategic policy officials.

That bill, Wu said, would not have an impact on US administration policies in the near future, but he said "we hope that the United States can really, seriously consider the necessity of sending high-level foreign policy officials to talk to decision-makers directly."

"We certainly hope that the [House committee action] will have an effect," he said, calling the house vote a "very encouraging one."

The measure could also influence the treatment of Taiwanese leaders in transits through US cities.

"I think Taiwanese leaders should be respected and treated as genuine democratic leaders," Wu said.

"Right now, they are not able to have decent transit through the United States. They are not even able to visit the United States. I don't think that is in line with American foreign policy," he said.
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