The nation's top envoy to the US stressed the need for enhanced security cooperation with the US to fend off the Chinese threat despite any efforts the future administration of president-elect Ma Ying-jeou might make to improve relations with Beijing.
"Security relations will continue to improve," Representative to Washington Joseph Wu (
"One of the reasons is that the United States recognizes that the rising Chinese military power doesn't seem to be a stabilizing factor in East Asia. And improving security ties between Taiwan and the United States will provide a stabilizing force," he said in an interview with the Taipei Times.
Despite this, China's military buildup, coupled with the reliance of the administration of US President George W. Bush on help from Beijing on a number of foreign policy issues, will continue to weigh on Washington's policy toward Taipei, Wu said.
"The United States is caught up in Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Darfur and various other crises. The United States will still need China's help in those crises," Wu said. "At the same time, China is still building up more and more military power against Taiwan. And there is no sign that the Chinese government is reducing that military buildup or reducing its diplomatic hostile intent against Taiwan."
"With these broader structural issues, I would say that Taiwan relations [with the US] will still face challenges in the future," he said.
But such issues do not necessarily augur major problems for Taiwan-US relations, Wu said.
"I would say that even though the United States still faces those international challenges, and China will continue to threaten Taiwan with military force and diplomatic maneuvers, the overall relations between the United States and Taiwan will still be sound and solid," he said.
Wu said that "a lot of misunderstandings" between President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and the White House "are going to clear up. So, by looking at that dimension alone, the relationship between Taiwan and the United States can be expected to improve somewhat."
In the area of national security, Wu said that bilateral relations had improved in recent years despite political disputes between the Chen and Bush administrations.
The Pentagon has been concerned over China's rapid military modernization and the growing number of ballistic missiles aimed at Taiwan. It is particularly worried over China's recent moves to prevent the US access to the Taiwan Strait to help Taiwan defend itself if China were to launch an attack.
When the pan blue-dominated Legislative Yuan last year loosened the strings on defense expenditures, the Pentagon was quick to respond with commitments to sell high-priority arms systems to Taiwan.
In addition to security concerns, Taiwan's democracy will continue to be a bedrock of Taiwan-US relations and Saturday's democratic election will reinforce the US' commitment to Taiwan as a free and functioning democracy, Wu said.
"The United States has always had a foreign policy of expanding democracy and human rights," Wu said.
"Taiwan will continue to be an example for the current administration in Washington to cite as a beacon for democracy," Wu said, citing Bush's words in his Saturday statement of congratulations to Taiwan for its free and fair election.
Based on that, "even though Taiwan-US relations will face some structural challenges, the overall relations between the two countries will continue to be good and sound," Wu said.
On another issue, Wu said he had not heard anything about a possible visit to Washington by Chen, as some people have suggested. While "theoretically" Chen should be able to visit the US as as a private citizen after he leaves office on May 20 and "there shouldn't be any limitations on him," Wu said, "for me to think about this issue now would be premature."
Wu said he had not talked with the US State Department about the issue, but if he received instructions from Taipei, "I will proceed with a lot of effort" to get Chen a visa.
"Chen has been barred from visiting [Washington] for at least eight years and many people here in Washington DC, I'm sure, would like to have the opportunity to have direct communication with him," Wu said.
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