US President Barack Obama’s new Cabinet choices indicate that he will continue to be extremely cautious with policies toward Taiwan.
On Monday, he nominated former Republican senator Chuck Hagel as secretary of defense and last month he chose Democratic Senator John Kerry to be secretary of state.
These are the key anchor positions of enormous importance to Taiwan.
Photo: Bloomberg
While Kerry, 69, is thought certain to sail through US Senate confirmation hearings, Hagel, 66, faces very tough opposition, although Obama is determined to fight hard for him.
Some Washington analysts believe that Hagel’s views may be at least partly responsible for the Obama administration’s failure to sell F-16C/D aircraft to Taiwan.
“Hagel has often cited his experience as a soldier in Vietnam as having shaped his foreign policy perspective, which has tended to stress caution when considering future military commitments,” said Rick Fisher, senior fellow in Asian military affairs at the International Assessment and Strategy Center.
He said that Hagel had “mused” about the dangers of being dragged into a war with China over Taiwan, “a concern that was later much reflected by the [former US president] George W. Bush administration.”
“Such concerns in part led the Bush and Obama administrations to ‘decline whether to decide’ to sell Taiwan new F-16 fighters despite accumulating threats from China,” Fisher said.
While still in the Senate, Hagel said that he was worried about “some of the talk” regarding China and Taiwan.
“When we say we’re going to defend Taiwan, what are we saying there?” he said. “Are we saying that if the Chinese send a missile over, we’re at war with China? It’s a big thing to say. I think we’re rather careless.”
More recently, Hagel said that the US should welcome China as it emerges and grows.
“Everything that we have to have in our country to prosper, so do the Chinese,” Hagel said.
“They’ve made tremendous strides,” he said. “They are a great power today, and they are going to continue to be a great power — and that’s okay.”
Hagel served two terms in the Senate, ending in 2009.
He opposed bills to impose unilateral sanctions on Iran and his nomination to head the Pentagon has drawn criticism from fellow Republicans who have questioned his commitment to Israel’s security.
Kerry has also been extremely cautious in the past when speaking on Taiwan issues.
“The cornerstone of our approach to policy toward China and Taiwan has been the so-called ‘one China’ policy: There is but one China; Taiwan is part of China and the question of Taiwan’s future must be settled peacefully,” he said on the Senate floor.
“We have been deliberately vague about what the circumstances might be under which we would come to Taiwan’s defense, not only to discourage Taiwan from drawing us in by declaring independence, but also to deter a Chinese attack by keeping Beijing guessing as to what the response might be,” he said.
Kerry has said that the Taiwan Relations Act does not commit the US to come to the defense of Taiwan in the event of an attack.
“The Taiwan Relations Act commits us to provide Taiwan with the necessary military equipment to meet its legitimate self-defense needs,” Kerry said.
“It may be the case that we would send American forces ultimately to Taiwan’s defense if there were an attack, but that decision should not be made by an American president in advance,” he said.
“A decision of this magnitude, which holds the potential for risking the lives of American military men and women, should be made in response to the circumstances at the moment, on the ground, in the air, and, most importantly, in consultation with the Congress,” Kerry said.
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
NUMBERS IMBALANCE: More than 4 million Taiwanese have visited China this year, while only about half a million Chinese have visited here Beijing has yet to respond to Taiwan’s requests for negotiation over matters related to the recovery of cross-strait tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. Taiwan’s tourism authority issued the statement after Chinese-language daily the China Times reported yesterday that the government’s policy of banning group tours to China does not stop Taiwanese from visiting the country. As of October, more than 4.2 million had traveled to China this year, exceeding last year. Beijing estimated the number of Taiwanese tourists in China could reach 4.5 million this year. By contrast, only 500,000 Chinese tourists are expected in Taiwan, the report said. The report
HORROR STORIES: One victim recounted not realizing they had been stabbed and seeing people bleeding, while another recalled breaking down in tears after fleeing A man on Friday died after he tried to fight the knife-wielding suspect who went on a stabbing spree near two of Taipei’s busiest metro stations, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. The 57-year-old man, identified by his family name, Yu (余), encountered the suspect at Exit M7 of Taipei Main Station and immediately tried to stop him, but was fatally wounded and later died, Chiang said, calling the incident “heartbreaking.” Yu’s family would receive at least NT$5 million (US$158,584) in compensation through the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp’s (TRTC) insurance coverage, he said after convening an emergency security response meeting yesterday morning. National
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency yesterday launched a gift box to market honey “certified by a Formosan black bear” in appreciation of a beekeeper’s amicable interaction with a honey-thieving bear. Beekeeper Chih Ming-chen (池明鎮) in January inspected his bee farm in Hualien County’s Jhuosi Township (卓溪) and found that more than 20 beehives had been destroyed and many hives were eaten, with bear droppings and paw prints near the destroyed hives, the agency said. Chih returned to the farm to move the remaining beehives away that evening when he encountered a Formosan black bear only 20m away, the agency said. The bear
RSS