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Bush claims credit for ‘peace’ in Taiwan Strait

US President George W. Bush, in what will likely be his last trip to Asia as president, has claimed credit for maintaining peace in the Taiwan Strait, attributing it to “cooperation” between his administration and China.

In an address upon his arrival in Bangkok on Wednesday — the second leg of a trip that will culminate with his attendance at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Beijing tonight — Bush ranged wide over his administration’s record in Asia over the past seven-and-a-half years, including US-China relations.

Bush described the Taiwan issue as a “key area of cooperation” between Washington and Beijing, which, he said, was responsible for the stability and peace in the Strait.

Saying that his administration had “stressed our determination to maintain peace across the Taiwan Strait,” Bush said: “From the beginning of my presidency, I have stated clearly that America’s approach to Taiwan would be based on our longstanding ‘one China’ policy, our three joint communiques and our steadfast commitment to the security of Taiwan’s democracy under the Taiwan Relations Act.”

“I have also articulated a principle that there should be no unilateral attempts by either side to alter the ‘status quo,’” Bush said.

“As a result of this frank engagement and firm diplomacy [with China], the tensions that once roiled the Taiwan Strait have calmed and we are witnessing a new period of stability and peace,” he said.

He made no mention of the role played by Taiwan’s domestic politics, or the recent presidential election, in creating the current situation.

Bush also omitted recent developments in relations between Taipei and Beijing and in a departure from previous speeches in Asia, he failed to praise Taiwan’s democracy or refer to it as a model for China and other countries.

In what is likely to go down as his swan song in Asia, Bush made extensive remarks about the improvement in Sino-US relations as a result of his administration’s policy of engaging China.

But he also took the opportunity to hit out at China’s human rights record.

He said the two countries’ “constructive relationship” on Taiwan, North Korea and other areas had allowed the US to be “honest and direct on other issues,” including China’s human rights violations and religious persecution.

“The United States believes the people of China deserve the fundamental liberty that is the natural right of all human beings,” he said. “So America stands in firm opposition to China’s detention of political dissidents, human rights advocates and religious activists. We speak out for a free press, freedom of assembly and labor rights,” he said.

As a result of his decision to attend the opening ceremonies of the Olympics and failing to speak out forcefully in recent weeks against China’s crackdown on activists and other rights violations ahead of the Games, Bush has been the target of widespread criticism in the US.

Last week, on the eve of Congress’s month-long summer recess, the House of Representatives approved a bill by a 419-1 vote condemning China’s human rights violations in the lead-up to the Olympics and calling on Bush to make a “strong public statement” on the subject both before the Games and while in Beijing.

A similar bill was introduced in the Senate a week earlier.
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