Congress Will Call Shots In War Against China For Taiwan: Us
Noting that many DPP leaders who push for Taiwan independence have claimed that Washington will come to the defense of Taiwan in case it is attacked by Beijing, Chang said they should mend their ways because Armitage has made it clear that Washington will not be drawn into a military conflict with the mainland if Taiwan makes a reckless pursuit of independence
-Am
Wednesday December 22, 02:14 PM
WASHINGTON, Dec 22 Asia Pulse - The U.S. Congress will decide whether the United States should go to war with mainland China should it attack Taiwan, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage said here Monday.
In an interview with the PBS television station, the number two man at the State Department said the Taiwan Relations Act requires the United States to maintain sufficient force in the Pacific to be able to deter attack but does not require the country to defend Taiwan should it come under attack from the mainland. He added that the power to declare war rests with the Congress.
He admitted that Taiwan is "probably the biggest landmine" in U.S. ties with the mainland, although the United States has managed to develop relations with the mainland while maintaining good relations with the people of Taiwan.
He said the United States deals with the mainland based on the three comuniques with Beijing, including an acknowledgement that there is but one China, of which Taiwan is a part, and added that "we'll have to continue that way."
Armitage's statement caused ripples in Taipei political circles Tuesday, with a spokesman for the opposition Kuomintang calling it a warning to Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party, which has pushed for the country's permanent separation from the mainland.
KMT spokesman Chang Jung-kung said it is an indication that Washington is trying to keep Taiwan at arms length amid increased pressure from Beijing, which bodes ill for Taiwan.
Noting that many DPP leaders who push for Taiwan independence have claimed that Washington will come to the defense of Taiwan in case it is attacked by Beijing, Chang said they should mend their ways because Armitage has made it clear that Washington will not be drawn into a military conflict with the mainland if Taiwan makes a reckless pursuit of independence.
However, Huang Chieh-cheng, director of the Institute of American Studies at Tamkang University in Tamshui, Taipei County, described Armitage's remarks as no more than a reiteration of Washington's recent calls for both sides of the Taiwan Strait to refrain from taking drastic action against each other.
In an interview with CNA, Huang said he did not see any intention on Armitage's part to give a warning to Taiwan or to pressurize Taiwan into drawing in its horns.
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