On monday, American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Chairwoman Therese Shaheen arrived in Taiwan, saying that she had come with "admiration." Unwilling to bring up the differences between Taipei and Washington, Shaheen is now playing the "good cop" role.
In Washington, however, Taiwan-US relations are not entirely harmonious, as the US is smoldering with doubts. The smoke could billow out if Taiwan cannot resolve this problem in a timely manner.
Most US officials agree that Taiwan and the US enjoy certain shared interests and values. But they are deeply confused by President Chen Shui-bian's (
Especially, they are concerned that some surprising announcements came from a tiny policy-making circle and that most leaders in Chen's government and key foreign affairs officials were unaware of them beforehand. This has led to Washington's doubts about the decisions of Chen's government and has also affected mutual trust between the two sides.
US officials pointed out that after Chen proposed the "one country on each side" dictum, he agreed not to surprise Washington again. But AIT Director Douglas Paal and Taiwan's representative to the US, Chen Chien-jen (
It was learned that Washington has close interaction with Chen's top aides -- apart from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Security Council. But the establishment of communication channels failed to improve interaction between the two sides.
Washington still does not believe that Chen is intentionally following South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun's anti-US strategy in order to win his re-election bid. But it's concerned about the situation that Chen's foreign-policy makers and his campaign managers are playing different tunes now.
A US official said that "Chen cannot promise to keep the `five noes' on the one hand while challenging the status and name of the nation on the other hand." "The US found these messages extremely chaotic and even contradictory," the official added.
"The US wants to know that, as the head of state, where exactly Chen is leading Taiwan and cross-strait relations," he said
Some US officials also commented that they understand that the "election war" has inevitably agitated Taiwan's politics, but the US does not want to pay the price for this.
The pro-Taiwan force inside the US government is still quite strong. Nevertheless, in view of the global situation, US President George W. Bush's administration has reached a consensus to develop a friendship with China, and the momentum of the anti-communist camp has already declined. Taipei should be sensitive to Washington's maneuvers in both Taiwan-US and Sino-US relations. It should be more cautious when pushing for major issues.
Beijing clearly has learned how to get Washington to constrain Taipei. Beijing has ignored Chen's recent talks while repeatedly complaining to Washington that Chen wants to attract votes by provoking Beijing.
The US values not only democracy but also peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. In light of current developments, if Chen maneuvers the cross-strait issue inappropriately during his campaign, Taiwan-US relations may be the first to be affected. While making a sprint for the election goal, Chen's government should also strengthen its communication with Washington, so as to consolidate mutual trust between the two sides.
Nadia Tsao is a US correspondent for the Liberty Times.
TRANSLATED BY EDDY CHANG
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