Taiwanese academics yesterday said that US policy toward China has returned to the "containment principle," and that Washington does not want to see Taiwan and China reconcile too quickly in the wake of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan's (連戰) meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤).
"A hasty reconciliation between Taiwan and China does not match US interests in East Asia, so Washington may become more deeply involved in Taiwan's policy toward China," said Philip Hsu (徐斯勤), an assistant professor of political science at National Taiwan University.
The remarks were made at a seminar held on cross-strait relations yesterday.
Hsu said he observed that US policy toward Taiwan has become increasingly intrusive.
He said that although the US opposed Taiwan's holding of a referendum during the presidential election in March of last year, the referendum still took place. Thus, Hsu said, the US learned that "pre-emptive diplomacy" was not sufficient to influence cross-strait relations, and US policymakers had since decided to take a more active approach in the Taiwan Strait.
As a result, the US is playing a more active role on Taiwan's domestic politics, Hsu said.
Hsu also accused the US government of clandestinely encouraging President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) to sign a 10-point consensus with People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) -- a move regarded as curbing Taiwan's independence forces.
The US even publicly "directed" Chen to act moderately and reasonably while attending the March 26 demonstration against China's "Anti-Secession" Law, Hsu said.
On the other hand, as the US "war on terrorism" has generally eased, Washington's focus has been shifted back to Asia. The Bush administration sees China as its biggest challenger in this century, and as such, a kind of containment policy is being brought to the fore, Hsu said.
Hsu also noted that as China prepared to enact the Anti-Secession Law, Washington and Tokyo announced in February that the Taiwan Strait was a "common strategic objective."
In addition, the US has strongly opposed the EU's plan to lift its arms embargo against China. The US made it clear to the EU that it does not want to see China use European-made weapons to kill Americans one day, Hsu said.
He added, however, that as the US adjusted its policy to "contain" China, Taiwan's opposition leaders complicated matters by accepting invitations to visit high-ranking officials in Beijing.
Hao Pei-chih (郝培芝), an assistant professor of public administration and policy at National Taipei University, said the issue of containment is at the core of US-China relations.
According to Hao's version of the containment theory, powerful countries build economic, diplomatic and sometimes even military walls around their rivals, but also leave a door for negotiations.
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said a magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck off the coast of eastern Taiwan yesterday was an independent event and part of a stress-adjustment process. The earthquake occurred at 4:47pm, with its epicenter at sea about 45.4km south of Yilan County Hall at a depth of 5.9km, the CWA said. The quake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in several townships in Yilan and neighboring Hualien County, where it measured 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the CWA said. Lin Po-yu (林柏佑), a division chief at the CWA's Seismological Center, told a news conference
RSS