US rebukes Chen over inflammatory remarks
The United States has rebuked Taiwan's President Chen Shui-bian, warning him not to take actions that might precipitate unrest in the region.
On Sunday (Jan 29), President Chen had referred to the one-China principle as a problem and said he supported abolishing Taiwan's National Unification Council, which was set up in 1990 to promote the eventual reunification of China and Taiwan.
"This kind of council and its representatives seek a unified China and, under the guidelines, even accepts the one-China principle. These are all problems," Chen had said.
In an extraordinary move, Washington issued a statement on Monday (Jan 30) reasserting that its policy towards Taiwan is governed by the one-China principle, the Taiwan Relations Act as well as the three US-China Joint Communiques.
For the United States, a real problem would be the abolition of the one-China principle, along with the other moves that Chen had threatened, such as revising Taiwan's Constitution and holding a referendum on the new version next year.
Washington has reacted furiously to these proposals, calling them "inflammatory" and liable to upset the delicate relationships between China, Taiwan and the United States.
With its military forces deeply involved in Iraq, the last thing the United States wants now is an upsurge in tension and possible military action in the Taiwan Strait.
Washington is also worried that Chen's volatile remarks will distract the current strategic dialogue between the United States and China over issues such as Iran and North Korea.
And it does not help that Chen's outbursts occurred amid preparations for Chinese President Hu Jintao's state visit to the United States in late April.
Adam Ereli, a State Department spokesman, said: "We're issuing this (statement) in the wake of some comments by President Chen in Taiwan that we don't want to be inflammatory or send the wrong signal, so we thought it useful to reiterate US policy on the subject."
The US policy is to oppose any unilateral change in the status quo, added Ereli, visibly unamused by Chen's provocative words.
Said Professor Wang Jianwei, an expert on cross-strait issues at the University of Wisconsin: "It is an open expression of displeasure at Chen's erratic behaviour."
This is not the first time that Washington has angrily tried to restrain the Taiwanese leader.
Professor Dennis Hickey, an Asian expert at Missouri State University, said: "The Bush administration has warned Chen time and again to avoid provoking China."
So far, there has been no official reaction from Beijing on Chen's threat to scrap guidelines on reunification with China and the body that created them.
Still, observers have been reminded of how President George W. Bush issued a similar verbal reprimand when Chen had threatened to hold referenda concurrently with the 2004 Taiwan presidential election. Bush's warning went unheeded.
There is now grave concern that the pro-independence leader, who cannot run for a third term, may feel he has nothing to lose by again ignoring Washington's warnings.
Prof Wang said: "Chen's latest remarks have raised US fears that he may once again use constitutional reform to pursue his independence agenda."
Christopher McNally, a China specialist at the Hawaii-based East-West Centre, said: "It is a red line that China has made clear no Taiwanese administration should cross. Beijing will do everything, including military threats, to stall the process before it gets underway."
In his remarks, Chen also repeated his belief that, as a sovereign nation, Taiwan should apply to join the United Nations.
That call came in the wake of a decision by the UN's World Health Organisation (WHO) last Friday (Jan 27) to deny Taiwan's bid for observer status.
In an additional sting to Washington's rebuke, Ereli said that Taiwan's participation in the UN would be a unilateral change in the status quo and that Washington could not support it.
His comment startled China watchers in the United States.
Prof Wang said: "To my knowledge, this is the first time that a US official has clearly defined Taiwan's effort to join the UN as a 'unilateral change of the status quo'. Ereli's remark is very significant."
Taiwan was forced out of the WHO in 1972, a year after it lost its UN seat to China.
Ereli's comments reflect growing anxiety in the White House that Chen will turn into a wild card who will take unpredictable and potentially disastrous actions during the remainder of his term.
Ralph Cossa, president of the Hawaii-based Pacific Forum CSIS, said: "Chen is clearly pushing the envelope. While others may step back and reflect when faced with political adversity, his inclination is to take a dramatic leap forward instead."
Chen is believed to be playing the China card to revive his own fortunes following the poor showing of his Democratic Progressive Party in last December's local polls.
Washington is also worried that the Taiwan leader will pursue the so-called "nuclear option" -- that he will simply declare independence before his term expires in 2008.
Said McNally: "The United States is very apprehensive about Chen moving in this direction and wants to nip his efforts in the bud before it gets too late."
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