Alex--This is foreign policy, to side with commies>>Clinton reaffirms one-China policy
By Carol Giacomo
SHANGHAI, China (Reuters) - In a move felt on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, President Clinton on Tuesday reaffirmed a
U.S. commitment to one China ruled from Beijing and opposition to independence for Taiwan.
Although other senior officials have previously underscored this long-standing U.S. policy, it was believed to be the first time
Clinton had done so himself so explicitly.
His comments -- at a round-table discussion in this city where the United States first issued in 1972 the Shanghai communique
recognizing "one China" -- were immediately criticized by Taiwan but were expected to be well-received by Beijing.
Discussing his summit last Saturday with Chinese President Jiang Zemin, Clinton said: "I had the chance to reiterate our Taiwan
policy which is that we don't support independence for Taiwan, or 'two Chinas' or 'one-Taiwan one-China."'
"And we don't believe that Taiwan should be a member in any organization for which statehood is a requirement," he said,
repeating what is often called the "three no's" of U.S. policy.
Clinton added: "Our only policy has been that we think it has to be done peacefully. That is what our law says, and we have
encouraged the cross-Straits dialogue. And I think eventually it will bear fruit if everyone is patient and works hard."
U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and other officials have stated the policy in virtually the same terms.
But Clinton himself, at least in public, has always defined U.S. policy more vaguely.
Taiwan immediately bridled at the statement, saying through a foreign ministry spokesman: "The United States and Chinese
communists have no right and are in no position to conduct bilateral negotiations on anything related to our affairs."
China meanwhile confirmed that Clinton had spelled out U.S. Taiwan policy during the summit with Jiang.
"We ask that words will be matched by action in all seriousness by the United States," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman
Tang Guoquiang told reporters.
China, which considers Taiwan the most sensitive issue in U.S.-China ties, had pushed the United States for some kind of new
joint statement on Taiwan, first as a capstone for the summit in Washington last October and later for the summit in Beijing.
The Chinese made clear "they would like to have an unambiguous statement of U.S. policy," one senior U.S. official said.
Despite comments by Albright and others, China still felt the need for a presidential level statement on what Washington means
when it repeatedly insists U.S. policy is "clear, consistent and unchanged," the official said.
The U.S. administration refused a new joint statement, knowing it would incense Taipei because it would be seen as if the
United States was negotiating the future of Taiwan with the communist government in Beijing, Taiwan's adversary, U.S. officials
said.
A joint statement also might have caused problems in Washington, where Taiwan has some influential supporters in Congress,
including Senator Jesse Helms, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
U.S. officials said they decided Clinton could make a "unilateral statement" that might not go down well in Taiwan -- which has
a democratic system where pro-independence forces are gaining strength -- but would not be as offensive as a joint
U.S.-China statement.
Clinton's comments on Taiwan were clearly planned.
He spoke on the issue in answer to a question that only touched marginally on Taiwan.
One senior official noted Clinton had reaffirmed his commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act in his speech Monday at Peking
University in Beijing and said this reference probably had not made China happy.
"We are trying to have balanced statements on this," he said of the Taiwan issue.
Chinese nationalists fled to Taiwan in 1949 after communists took control in Beijing.
In 1979, the United States switched its recognition from Taipei to Beijing but the Taiwan Relations Act permits unofficial
contacts -- including arms sales that China bitterly opposes -- between Washington and Taiwan to flourish.
The crux of the dispute over U.S. policy is the word "independence," which means different things to Taipei and Beijing.
Taiwan's Nationalist rulers already claim a form of independence for the island as the seat of power of the Republic of China,
founded on the mainland in 1912 and transplanted in 1949.
China regards Taiwan as a rebel province and has threatened to invade if the island declares independence. It has fought
aggressively to isolate Taiwan diplomatically and prevent it joining international bodies, including the United Nations.
In addition to the Taiwan Relations Act, a U.S. law, U.S. policy on China is contained in three joint communiques with Beijing.
The Shanghai communique, issued at the end of President Richard Nixon's historic 1972 trip to China, stated that there is only
one China and that Taiwan is part of China.
The second communique in 1979 established diplomatic relations between Washington and Beijing.
The third, in 1982, stated the U.S. intention to reduce gradually its arms sales to Taiwan while China asserted its commitment to
a peaceful resolution of the Taiwan issue.
The Taiwan Strait between China and Taiwan is potentially one of the most explosive areas in Asia. It was the focus of tension
in March 1996 when China threatened Taiwan and the United States sent two aircraft carriers to the area. |
