Foreign Correspondence

[Amaunet]

Taiwan’s president for talks with China

The United States does not want a quick reconciliation between Taiwan and China. This could be a major reason why Bush is backing Bolton for the UN.

"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, an assistant professor of political science at National Taiwan University.
#msg-6202360

Clearly, ending North Korea's nuclear crisis or even eliminating "evil" is not the ultimate goal of the US. What the US really wants, and is exploiting the North Korea "crisis" to achieve, is to deploy sufficient military forces and resources in the western Pacific (especially close to Taiwan) so as to encourage Taiwan independence, thereby checking China's growth as a power that might compete with the US. Not long ago, the US and Japan were talking about using Japan's Shimoji Island as a military base. Only about 200 miles from Taiwan, Shimoji has a "runway capable of safely handling a fully loaded F-15C fighter jet", observed James Brooke in the New York Times.
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Shortly before joining the Bush administration, Bolton lobbied for the Taiwanese government. One Asian paper described him as "an ardent friend of Taiwan", and he criticized the administration of former president Bill Clinton for leaving the island in "strategic ambivalence", uncertain of US military support should China invade the island.

Ironically, the White House might actually welcome the hype surrounding his angry outbursts. There just hasn't been much time for a review of the columns Bolton wrote for the Taipei Times.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/GE03Ak01.html

-Am

Taiwan’s president for talks with China

Posted online: Tuesday, May 03, 2005 at 0000 hours IST




MAY 2 : Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian called for talks with China to reconcile differences and ease more than a half-century of tensions that have blocked direct flights, slowed investment and isolated the island internationally.

His main opposition rival, Nationalist Party leader Lien Chan, wrapping up an historic trip to China, said on Monday in Shanghai that Taiwan must seize the opportunity for reconciliation and seek its prosperity in China's economic boom.

Ending more than a half century of acrimony will be easier said than done unless the island's ruling party drops aspirations toward independence and accepts Chinese sovereignty, analysts said. No policy shifts have been announced yet.

The President has to seek reconciliation “because that is what the majority of people in Taiwan want,' said a teacher of US and Chinese studies at the Chinese Culture University in Taipei. “Without integration with China, Taiwan's economy may be ruined in five years.'

Mr Chen said he will propose setting up a communication channel with China, Taiwan's China News Agency said, citing comments Mr Chen made on Monday on a visit to the Marshall Islands. The report didn't elaborate or say if the plan will be contained in a message Mr Chen said he's sending to Chinese leaders this week.

“Chen may want to be Taiwan's Nixon,' Philip Yang, professor of political science at National Taiwan University said of the possibility of Mr Chen visit to China. “Chen wants to get the initiative back on China and may not exclude the possibility of improving ties on non-political issues.' President Chen is visiting the Marshall Islands and two other small Pacific Ocean nations that are among the 25 countries in the world still maintaining diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

The visit coincides with the tail-end of Lien weeklong trip to China, the highest-ranking Taiwan politician to visit the mainland since both sides split in 1949.

Both men are considered lame ducks in Taiwan politics. Mr Chen, who won by 30,000 of 13 million votes cast in the 2004 election, can't run again when his current term expires in 2008.

—Bloomberg


http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=89782