Senator Barack Obama’s comfortable victory will not result in significant changes in the Taiwan-US relations, but Taipei must seize the moment to creatively bolster communication between the two sides, academics said yesterday at a forum held in Taipei.
Taiwan’s former representative to Washington Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said in his encounters with US officials, many had expressed optimism toward Taiwan’s offer to further the US counterterrorism effort.
“Our foreign ministry and National Security Council should now proactively seek opportunities to participate in the effort such as providing humanitarian assistance,” Wu told the forum at the National Chengchi University (NCCU).
Taipei should also start lobbying Washington to allow cabinet members to visit Taiwan, he said. Furthermore, it should ask the US to launch a comprehensive review of its Taiwan policies, which has not been done since 1994, to remove any outdated provisions, he said.
The academics agreed that a Democratic White House would not create any drastic changes to Taiwan-US relations and retain its longstanding “one-China” policy. Obama, however, will employ a more Beijing-friendly approach while veering toward isolationism.
“America knows it needs to first take care of its domestic affairs now. It will be less willing to pour more resources abroad as [US President George W.] Bush had done,” said Chao Chun-shan (趙春山), professor at the Graduate Institute of China Studies at Tamkang University.
Despite an absence of a unilateral US adjustment on the Taiwan issue, Chao said that at least Washington now views Taiwan as more “predictable” and not a “troublemaker.”
Taiwan can also expect the US to continue supporting Taiwan’s “meaningful participation” in multilateral organizations such as the WHO, said Cheng Jui-yao (鄭瑞耀), professor at NCCU’s Institute of International Relations, adding Taiwan’s involvement in international arena not only coincide with US interests, but also the will of the American people.
Looking at the US election as a whole, the academics agreed that Obama’s win does not guarantee a cushy road ahead, as he will inherit a number of highly complex problems such as the economic recession, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and his pet project national healthcare reform.
The race represented the US’ multidimensional characteristics, they said.
The fact that an African-American president was elected and a woman was picked as a running mate illustrates that the US still has a resounding diversity.
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