Changes to the US Department of State’s fact sheet on Taiwan indicate a significant warming in relations between the two nations, an academic said yesterday, as Beijing denounced them as “political manipulation.”
The department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs on Thursday updated its online fact sheet on Taiwan-US relations, removing statements saying that Washington acknowledged Beijing’s “one China” position and did not support Taiwanese independence.
A previous version of the document opened with the statement: “The United States and Taiwan enjoy a robust unofficial relationship” and said the US acknowledged “the Chinese position that there is but one China and Taiwan is part of China.”
Photo: Screen grab and graphic by the Taipei Times
In the updated version, the statement mentioning Taiwan as a part of China has been removed, and the document now opens with the statement: “As a leading democracy and a technological powerhouse, Taiwan is a key US partner in the Indo-Pacific.”
Yeh Yao-Yuan (葉耀元), chair of International Studies and Modern Languages at the University of St Thomas in Houston, Texas, wrote on Facebook that the changes signify a “striking warming of relations” between the US and Taiwan, mainly due to rising tensions between Washington and Beijing.
Even though the US still upholds its “one China” policy and strategic ambiguity toward Taiwan, Yeh said the US now sees Taiwan more as an important economic, security and democratic partner, and is more open to Taiwanese making their own decisions about their future.
The explanation for the US’ “one China” policy has been completely removed, instead emphasizing the “six assurances,” Yeh said.
The narrative change places more emphasis on bilateral diplomatic interaction, which can be seen from the US dispatching high-level officials to visit Taiwan following the passage of the Taiwan Travel Act, he said.
Inclusion of the US-Taiwan Economic Prosperity Partnership Dialogue, and the Technology, Trade and Investment Collaboration also lays the foundation for a bilateral free-trade agreement, Yeh said, adding that mention of the US-Taiwan Education Initiative only further highlights Taiwan’s rising status in Washington’s diplomatic and strategic plans.
Washington’s ties with Taipei have warmed, because the US’ attitude toward China has changed from partner to competitor, Yeh said.
While it does not indicate that the US is renouncing its “one China” policy or its policy of strategic ambiguity, it is nonetheless a great step forward, Yeh said.
Meanwhile, American Institute in Taiwan spokesman Ed Dunn yesterday sidestepped questions about the change, only reiterating the US’ stance that Washington’s “one China” policy has been guided by the US’ Taiwan Relations Act, the Three Joint Communiques and the “six assurances” for more than four decades.
“Our commitment to Taiwan is rock-solid and contributes to the maintenance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and within the region,” he said.
The US is committed to deepening unofficial relations with Taiwan — a leading democracy and a critical economic and security partner of the US, Dunn added.
Citing Dunn’s remarks, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said that Washington has said that its policy toward Taiwan has not changed.
Taiwan would continue to deepen relations with the US, and enhance its self-defense capabilities, its freedom and democratic system to promote cross-strait peace and security, she said.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs slammed the change, calling it “a petty act of fictionalizing and hollowing out the ‘one China’ principle.”
“This kind of political manipulation on the Taiwan question is an attempt to change the ‘status quo’ in the Taiwan Strait, and will inevitably stir up a fire that only burns [the US],” ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian (趙立堅) told reporters in Beijing.
Additional reporting by Reuters
CHIPMAKING INVESTMENT: J.W. Kuo told legislators that Department of Investment Review approval would be needed were Washington to seek a TSMC board seat Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) yesterday said he received information about a possible US government investment in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and an assessment of the possible effect on the firm requires further discussion. If the US were to invest in TSMC, the plan would need to be reviewed by the Department of Investment Review, Kuo told reporters ahead of a hearing of the legislature’s Economics Committee. Kuo’s remarks came after US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on Tuesday said that the US government is looking into the federal government taking equity stakes in computer chip manufacturers that
NORTHERN STRIKE: Taiwanese military personnel have been training ‘in strategic and tactical battle operations’ in Michigan, a former US diplomat said More than 500 Taiwanese troops participated in this year’s Northern Strike military exercise held at Lake Michigan by the US, a Pentagon-run news outlet reported yesterday. The Michigan National Guard-sponsored drill involved 7,500 military personnel from 36 nations and territories around the world, the Stars and Stripes said. This year’s edition of Northern Strike, which concluded on Sunday, simulated a war in the Indo-Pacific region in a departure from its traditional European focus, it said. The change indicated a greater shift in the US armed forces’ attention to a potential conflict in Asia, it added. Citing a briefing by a Michigan National Guard senior
POWER PLANT POLL: The TPP said the number of ‘yes’ votes showed that the energy policy should be corrected, and the KMT said the result was a win for the people’s voice The government does not rule out advanced nuclear energy generation if it meets the government’s three prerequisites, President William Lai (賴清德) said last night after the number of votes in favor of restarting a nuclear power plant outnumbered the “no” votes in a referendum yesterday. The referendum failed to pass, despite getting more “yes” votes, as the Referendum Act (公民投票法) states that the vote would only pass if the votes in favor account for more than one-fourth of the total number of eligible voters and outnumber the opposing votes. Yesterday’s referendum question was: “Do you agree that the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant
ENHANCED SECURITY: A Japanese report said that the MOU is about the sharing of information on foreign nationals entering Japan from Taiwan in the event of an emergency The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday confirmed that Taiwan and Japan had signed an agreement to promote information exchanges and cooperation on border management, although it did not disclose more details on the pact. Ministry spokesman Hsiao Kuang-wei (蕭光偉) said the ministry is happy to see that the two nations continue to enhance cooperation on immigration control, in particular because Taiwan and Japan “share a deep friendship and frequent people-to-people exchanges.” “Last year, more than 7.32 million visits were made between the two countries, making it even more crucial for both sides to work closer on immigration and border control,” he said. Hsiao
RSS