President George W. Bush on Sept. 30 signed into law the "Foreign Relations Authorization Act (FRAA), Fiscal Year 2003." Although he disagreed with the text of taking Taiwan as a "major non-NATO ally" when it comes to arms sales, he did not disagree with many sections that regulate Taiwan-US relations -- as if he wants to tacitly agree with them.
This move has undoubtedly been as big a step forward for relations with the US as when Washington adjusted its Taiwan policy in 1994.
From now on, Taiwan should consolidate the successful results achieved by our diplomats and pro-Taiwan American friends. It should also handle sensitive Sino-US relations with great care, so as not to damage our national interest by making any rash advance.
The progress of Taiwan-US relations was limited before 1992. A major breakthrough did not occur until former US president George Bush approved F-16 sales to Taiwan and sent then US Trade Representative Carla Hills to discuss and sign a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) with Taipei. Moreover, after former US president Bill Clinton came to power, he ordered a review of Taiwan policy. Especially important, the bizarre name of Taipei's Washington office was changed from "Coordination Council for North American Affairs" (
A total of six FRAA sections are relevant to Taiwan this time -- including two important compulsory provisions.
Section 326 states that the US secretary of state may assign diplomats or incumbent government officials outside the US Department of State for duty at the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) if necessary. None of the AIT officials have official government status currently. Those who are appointed to the AIT must either resign their government posts or "technically" leave their original posts. As a result, many are afraid to take an AIT post due to considerations of their future promotion and benefits. The new provision is likely to boost the quality of AIT officials and the status of the institute itself.
The provision that affects Taiwan most is Section 1206, which states that "for purposes of the transfer or possible transfer of defense articles or defense services, Taiwan shall be treated as though it were designated a major non-NATO ally."
In fact, the quality and quantity of US arms sales to Taiwan has almost been lifted to that of the US' NATO allies in recent years. Nevertheless, Washington doesn't want to provoke Beijing too much before Chinese President Jiang Zemin's (
Although Bush junior signed the bill, he actually reaffirmed that "Section 1206 could be misconstrued to imply a change in the `one China' policy of the US when that US policy remains unchanged. To the extent that this section could be read to purport to change US policy, it impermissibly interferes with the president's constitutional authority to conduct the nation's foreign affairs." Thus, he tried to pacify Beijing while allowing Taipei to reach its substantial goals.
From the younger Bush's ingenious thoughts and euphemistic words we can find that Washington must go through much trouble in order to show its support for us -- despite the many diplomats and foreign friends who have make friendly overtures toward us. As the Taiwanese saying goes, "If you eat too fast, you may break the bowl" (
Edward Chen is the director of the Graduate Institute of American Studies at Tamkang University.
TRANSLATED BY EDDY CHANG
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