The US government should forgo all references to “one China” in the context of Taiwan-related issues and policies, because the term is imprecise and misleading as Taiwan was never part of China, former American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) director William Stanton said yesterday.
Stanton, who headed the AIT’s Taipei office from 2009 to 2012, made the appeal during a speech on Taiwan-China policy in the US at a Taichung luncheon, which was organized by the Tai-Yang Cultural and Educational Foundation.
Taiwan was never part of China and the use of “one China,” which has always meant something different to Washington and Beijing, is inaccurate, misleading and confusing, Stanton said, adding that Washington should no longer say that it has a “one China” policy, as “that does not mean anything anymore.”
Photo: Chang Jui-chen, Taipei Times
The US government should also refrain from mentioning the Three Joint Communiques “as if they were the Bible,” Stanton said.
The first communique had the facts wrong and the third was effectively repudiated by the “six assurances” given to Taiwan by then-US president Ronald Reagan in 1982, he said.
Another problem is that Beijing and Washington have interpreted the first communique differently, Stanton added.
“They [the Chinese] use a different verb to say we acknowledge the Chinese position and they say cheng ren [承認, “agree with”], which has different meanings,” he said, referring to a section in the first part of the 1982 US-China joint communique that says that the US “acknowledged the Chinese position that there is but one China and Taiwan is part of China.”
Washington should initiate, but not necessarily advertise, exchanges of high-level officials between Taiwan and the US as called for in the Taiwan Travel Act, which was signed into law by US President Donald Trump in March, Stanton said.
However, Taiwan should carefully weigh the potential risk of such visits, he said.
Stanton was wary about a potential visit by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to Washington, which some seem to be bandying about lately, including Joseph Bosco, former China country director in the office of the US secretary of defense, in an opinion piece on Monday last week in the political newspaper The Hill.
“If we are going to provoke China, it should be [for something] of lasting importance to Taiwan. I think that is the view of many people,” Stanton said, adding that Tsai should decide how much she would like to push for such a visit.
Asked on Tuesday last week to comment on Bosco’s piece, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied that Tsai planned to visit Washington, but did not elaborate.
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
The Taichung District Court yesterday confirmed its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai’s NT$500 million (US$16.37 million) estate. The court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgement after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final. In the June ruling, the court said that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed “no mutual admiration before the marriage” and that their interactions were “distant and unfamiliar.” The judge concluded that the couple lacked the “true intention of
A drunk woman was sexually assaulted inside a crowded concourse of Taipei Railway Station on Thursday last week before a foreign tourist notified police, leading to calls for better education on bystander intervention and review of security infrastructure. The man, surnamed Chiu (邱), was taken into custody on charges of sexual assault, taking advantage of the woman’s condition and public indecency. Police discovered that Chiu was a fugitive with prior convictions for vehicle theft. He has been taken into custody and is to complete his unserved six-month sentence, police said. On Thursday last week, Chiu was seen wearing a white
RSS