The controversy over Taiwan's UN bid caused US National Security Council senior director for East Asian affairs Dennis Wilder to say in late August that "Taiwan, or the Republic of China [ROC], is not at this point a state in the international community."
Conversely, Washington also said it did not accept the UN's view that Taiwan is a part of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Both moves created quite a stir.
But the claim made by some political commentators in Taiwan that this marked the first time the US had objected to the claim that Taiwan is part of the PRC is a misleading one.
Even after the US severed diplomatic ties with Taipei, the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) underscored Washington's denial of the PRC's claim. Former US president Ronald Reagan's "Six Assurances," delivered in person by US representative to Taiwan James Lilly to president Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國) on July 14, 1982, before the signing of the US-PRC Joint Communique on Arms Sales, clearly stated that the US does not support Chinese claims of sovereignty over Taiwan.
On Oct. 3, the Heritage Foundation, a US-based conservative think tank, held a seminar in Washington titled "President Reagan's Six Assurances to Taiwan and their Meaning Today." Former Control Yuan president Fredrick Chien (
Sources say that former US deputy assistant secretary of defense for Asia and the Pacific Kurt Campbell and former American Institute in Taiwan chairman Richard Bush also support Schriver's proposal.
In his article, Schriver points out that calls from Taiwanese officials for Washington to reaffirm its six assurances are not very useful as the situation has changed drastically in the last 25 years. Over the past three years in particular, "trust between the US and Taiwan has weakened. Thus, there is a need today for a strong, clear statement from a senior US official that will move us toward genuine reassurance," Schriver wrote.
Schriver's six assurances no longer refer to the issue of US arms sales to Taiwan.
Assurances that remain from the past include the position that the US would not pressure Taiwan to enter into negotiations with the PRC and that the US will always honor the TRA. Some relatively fresh points include the fifth assurance, which stipulates that "Under no circumstances will the US seek to curry favor with China by making sacrifices in its relationship with Taiwan ... The US will not agree to `co-manage' the issue of Taiwan with the PRC" and the sixth assurance, which says that "The US will seek to promote opportunities for Taiwan to participate meaningfully in international organizations."
The fourth assurance, however, is confusing, as it states that "The US will not formally recognize the PRC's sovereignty over Taiwan."
Does this mean Washington would grant informal recognition to PRC sovereignty over Taiwan? The same assurance also states that "Issues related to the sovereignty of Taiwan are for the people of the PRC and the people of Taiwan to decide peacefully themselves."
Although Schriver's intentions are good, his fourth assurance seems to be a major step backward.
Chen Yi-shen is an associate research fellow at Academia Sinica's Institute of Modern History.
Translated by Eddy Chang
Taiwan faces complex challenges like other Asia-Pacific nations, including demographic decline, income inequality and climate change. In fact, its challenges might be even more pressing. The nation struggles with rising income inequality, declining birthrates and soaring housing costs while simultaneously navigating intensifying global competition among major powers. To remain competitive in the global talent market, Taiwan has been working to create a more welcoming environment and legal framework for foreign professionals. One of the most significant steps in this direction was the enactment of the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及僱用法) in 2018. Subsequent amendments in
After nine days of holidays for the Lunar New Year, government agencies and companies are to reopen for operations today, including the Legislative Yuan. Many civic groups are expected to submit their recall petitions this week, aimed at removing many Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers from their seats. Since December last year, the KMT and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) passed three controversial bills to paralyze the Constitutional Court, alter budgetary allocations and make recalling elected officials more difficult by raising the threshold. The amendments aroused public concern and discontent, sparking calls to recall KMT legislators. After KMT and TPP legislators again
US President Donald Trump on Saturday signed orders to impose tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China effective from today. Trump decided to slap 25 percent tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada as well as 10 percent on those coming from China, but would only impose a 10 percent tariff on Canadian energy products, including oil and electricity. Canada and Mexico on Sunday quickly responded with retaliatory tariffs against the US, while countermeasures from China are expected soon. Nevertheless, Trump announced yesterday to delay tariffs on Mexico and Canada for a month and said he would hold further talks with
Taiwan’s undersea cables connecting it to the world were allegedly severed several times by a Chinese ship registered under a flag of convenience. As the vessel sailed, it used several different automatic identification systems (AIS) to create fake routes. That type of “shadow fleet” and “gray zone” tactics could create a security crisis in Taiwan and warrants response measures. The concept of a shadow fleet originates from the research of Elisabeth Braw, senior fellow at the Washington-based Atlantic Council. The phenomenon was initiated by authoritarian countries such as Iran, North Korea and Russia, which have been hit by international economic