The US, in its first detailed response to President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) "one country on each side" of the Taiwan Strait statement, has reiterated its opposition to Taiwan independence and has indicated that it is satisfied with Taipei's explanations that Chen's statements did not constitute a unilateral declaration of independence.
White House spokesman Sean McCormack said that the George W. Bush administration takes "at face value" the government's explanations issued after Chen's comments that he did not intend his remarks as a declaration of independence.
McCormack also said that the administration still stands by Bush's comments in April of last year that the US would do "whatever it took" to defend Taiwan against an attack from China.
The statements came just hours before Mainland Affairs Council Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) arrived in Washington from New York on an emergency mission to explain to US officials and think tanks what Chen meant and how his remarks affect the government's cross-strait policy.
In a press conference at Washington's Union Station, where Tsai arrived by train Wednesday afternoon, she indicated that she will have a tough job in the two or three days she is in the national's capital.
"I think that a lot of clarification is needed," she said, when asked whether she has detected concern in the US over Chen's remarks.
"I want to let the people [in Washington] understand better the situation in Taiwan. The situation is that there's no change in policy."
Early yesterday morning, Tsai held a lengthy meeting with members of two think tanks, the liberal Brookings Institution and the conservative American Enterprise Institute, which play important roles in helping form US government policy, and was scheduled to meet with Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage later in the day. It was not known whether she would meet anybody in the White House.
It is also understood that Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific, James Kelly, is interrupting a vacation to return to Washington to meet with Tsai, an indication of the importance with which the administration views Chen's remarks.
The White House's McCormack reiterated that Washington has a "one China" policy and "we do not support Taiwan independence."
He took pains to emphasize the importance of the explanations made by the DPP and Chen's government that Chen's speech did not represent a declaration of independence.
"The question at issue is whether or not Taiwan should be an independent nation. And it is our understanding that authorities on Taiwan have publicly emphasized that Chen's Aug. 3 remarks were not, in fact, a call for independence. This is what we have been told, and we take these statements at face value," he said.
Reflecting Washington's concern, McCormack called on Taiwan and China not to exacerbate the situation in the Taiwan Strait. "We continue to urge all the parties to avoid any steps that may raise tensions, threaten peace and stability. And again, we look for ... a possible resumption of dialogue between Beijing and Taiwan," he said.
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck off the southern coast of Mindanao in the Philippines at 7:38am today, prompting the US Tsunami Warning System to issue an alert for neighboring countries, including Taiwan. The system issued a purple alert indicating a "tsunami threat." The potential threat zone includes Taiwan, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Yap and Palau. Philippine authorities were assessing the damage from the quake, with the office of civil defense seeking to verifying initial reports that 15 people had been killed and 129 injured in the region, mostly from falling debris. Arlene Hollero, disaster chief of Maasim town in the Philippines' Sarangani Province,
‘GRAY ZONE’ PRESSURE: Beijing’s activities are intended to create the deceitful impression that China has jurisdiction over the area around Taiwan, the CGA said Taiwan’s rights over its territorial waters and exclusive economic zone must not be violated by any country, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday, adding that it will not accept any unprovoked actions. The council issued the remarks in response to the China Coast Guard conducting maritime enforcement drills near eastern Taiwan and claiming to fully exercise China’s maritime administrative law enforcement authority. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) has been closely monitoring the situation and is taking concrete steps to defend the nation’s sovereignty and secure its waters, the council said. China has no sovereign rights over the waters off eastern
RESILIENCE: Taiwan plays a key role in semiconductors, energy, information infrastructure and advanced manufacturing, AIT Director Raymond Greene said Taiwan’s continued investment in deterrence and resilience remains vital, especially in uncrewed systems and other emerging technologies, American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Raymond Greene said yesterday. Greene made the remarks at the annual National Strategic Summit on Supply Chain Resilience held by the Research Institute for Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology (DSET), a government-backed think tank. As Taiwan last year became the US’ fourth-largest trading partner and supply chain security is becoming more important, cooperation in emerging technologies continues to deepen between the two countries, he said. The US is committed to accelerating innovation, building key infrastructure, strengthening cooperation
The National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology yesterday showcased its locally developed variants of the Vision 60 robotic patrol dog, which it plans to deploy on the nation’s outlying territories in the South China Sea. The variants were produced under the Joint Lab project — created by the institute and domestic companies — and assembled with domestically produced motors, lenses and artificial intelligence (AI) systems alongside licensed tech from the US, Missile and Rocket Systems Research Division deputy director Jen Kuo-kang (任國光) told the media event at a military base in Taipei’s Dazhi (大直) area. Taiwan has built up its strengths
RSS