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.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications yesterday inaugurated the Danjiang Bridge across the Tamsui River in New Taipei City, saying that the structure would be an architectural icon and traffic artery for Taiwan. Feted as a major engineering achievement, the Danjiang Bridge is 920m long, 211m tall at the top of its pylon, and is the longest single-pylon asymmetric cable-stayed bridge in the world, the government’s Web site for the structure said. It was designed by late Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid. The structure, with a maximum deck of 70m, accommodates road and light rail traffic, and affords a 200m navigation channel for boats,
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest foundry service provider, yesterday said that global semiconductor revenue is projected to hit US$1.5 trillion in 2030, after the figure exceeds US$1 trillion this year, as artificial intelligence (AI) demand boosts consumption of token and compute power. “We are still at the beginning of the AI revolution, but we already see a significant impact across the whole semiconductor ecosystem,” TSMC deputy cochief operating officer Kevin Zhang (張曉強) said at the company’s annual technology symposium in Hsinchu City. “It is fair to say that in the past decade, smartphones and other mobile devices were
US-CHINA SUMMIT: MOFA welcomed US reassurance of no change in its Taiwan policy; Trump said he did not comment when Xi talked of opposing independence US President Donald Trump yesterday said he has not made a decision on whether to move forward with a major arms package for Taiwan after hearing concerns about it from Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). Trump’s comments on Taiwan came as he flew back to Washington after wrapping up critical talks in which both leaders said important progress was made in stabilizing US-China relations even as deep differences persist between the world’s two biggest powers on Iran and Taiwan. “I will make a determination,” Trump said, adding: “I’ll be making decisions. But, you know, I think the last thing we need right
TAIWAN ISSUE: US treasury secretary Scott Bessent said on the first day of meetings that ‘it wouldn’t be a US-China summit without the Taiwan issue coming up’ There were no surprises on the first day of the summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday, as the government reiterated that cross-strait stability is crucial to the Asia-Pacific region, as well as the world. As the two presidents met for a highly anticipated summit yesterday, Chinese state media reported that Xi warned Trump that missteps regarding Taiwan could push their two countries into “conflict.” Trump arrived in China with accolades for his host, calling Xi a “great leader” and “friend,” and extending an invitation to visit the White House
RSS