PDF(2.7mb) - 國家政策研究基金會

Stabilizing the Triangle: A Personal View from Taipei 167
Chinese nation. “We understand how our Taiwan compatriots
feel about the issue of participating in international
activities,” he added. Regarding the issue of Taiwan’s
participation in the activities of international organizations,
as long as it does not create neither “two
Chinas” nor “one China and one Taiwan” scenario, appropriate
arrangements can be made through practical
bilateral consultations.
On the issue of termination of hostilities between
the two sides and working toward a peace agreement,
President Hu proposed that both sides could start pragmatic
exploration on bilateral political relations under
the current special “pre-unification” circumstances. He
also proposed contacts and exchanges on military matters
when appropriate to discuss the issue on military
and security confidence- building mechanism. All these
should be based on “one China” principle, Mr. Hu
stressed.
The U.S. Role
Earlier on the U.S. front, Democratic presidential
candidate, Senator Barack Obama issued a congratulatory
statement on President-elect Ma Ying-jeou for his
victory on March 22, 2008, in which Mr. Obama
pointed out that “it is important for Beijing to demonstrate
to the people of Taiwan that the practical and
non-confrontational approach that President-elect Ma
promises to take toward the Mainland will be met with
good faith and progress. The PRC should reduce the
military threat to Taiwan by pulling back the missiles it
has deployed in southeast China and by other confidence-building
measures. And on issues such as Taiwan’s
observer status in the World Health Organization,
where the health of all Chinese people is at stake, it
should allow Taiwan greater international space.” Another
Democratic candidate, Senator Hillary Clinton
also called for “cross-strait “dialogue to reduce tension
between the two sides in his congratulatory message.
As regards U.S. relations with Taipei, Mr. Obama
recommended that it “should respond to Ma
Ying-jeou’s election by rebuilding relationship of trust
and support for Taiwan’s democracy. The U.S. should
reopen blocked channels of communication with Taiwan
officials. We should continue to provide the arms
necessary for Taiwan to deter possible aggression. And
we should encourage both Taipei and Beijing to build
commercial, cultural, and other ties, laying the
groundwork for a closer relationship and ultimately
movement toward resolution of their differences. And
he went on to say that “we should maintain our ‘one
China’ policy, our adherence to the three U.S.-PRC
Joint Communiqués concerning Taiwan, and observance
of Taiwan Relations Act.”
Before the U.S. presidential election, the Bush
Administration approved last October a long-delayed
arms-sale package in the amount of US$6.46 billion,
the largest amount in many years of Taipei’s procurement
of U.S. defensive arms. The Ma Administration
regarded the U.S. decision as the end of eight years of
turbulent relations between Washington and Taipei and
the beginning of a new era of peace and security, and
renewed mutual trust.
When Obama Administration came to power in
January, it lined up a highly regarded foreign policy
team, including old hands on key positions of Asian
Affairs immediately after the presidential inauguration
on January 20. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made
a number of trips in her capacities as first lady, U.S.
Senator or otherwise, to Taiwan and Mainland China.
The new Senior Asian Affairs Director of National Security
Council, Mr. Jeff Bader, was former Deputy Assistant
Secretary of State in charge of Asian Affairs in
the Clinton Administration. The deputy Secretary of
State, Mr. James Steinberg, was reportedly the counterpart
of Mr. Ding Mou-shih, Secretary-General of
Taipei’s National Security Council in their secret meetings
during the waning years of Clinton and Lee
Teng-hui Administrations. And Assistant Secretary of
State designate in charge of Asian and Pacific Affairs,
Mr. Kurt Campbell, was deputy assistant secretary of
Defense of the Clinton Administration. This line-up
shows a strong sign of continuity of the U.S. policy