US emphasizing its `six assurances' for Taiwan

TOKYO
The George W. Bush administration has been paying increased attention to Taiwan's security and has recently reiterated the "six assurances" aimed at deterring China from attacking Taiwan militarily, a Japanese daily reported yesterday.

The Yomiuri Shimbun reported that the Bush administration has decided to apply the policy of the "six assurances" that were made to Taiwan by the Ronald Reagan administration in July 14, 1982, for the security of Taiwan.

The six assurances are that the US has not agreed to set a date for ending arms sales to Taiwan, it has not agreed to hold prior consultations with China on such arms sales, it will not play any mediation role between Taipei and Beijing, it has not agreed to revise the Taiwan Relations Act, it has not altered its position regarding sovereignty over Taiwan and it will not exert pressure on Taiwan to enter into negotiations with China.

It was learned that when Minister of National Defense Tang Yao-ming (´öÂ`©ú) was in the US for a US-Taiwan security conference last month, Pentagon officials told him that the US government would firmly follow the "six assurances."

The Yomiuri Shimbun also quoted officials in Washington as saying that the Bush administration has decided to put aside the "three nos" policy that former president Bill Clinton pronounced during his state visit to China in 1998.

The "three nos" are: no support for Taiwan's independence, no support for "two Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan" and no support for Taiwan's membership in international organizations where statehood is required.

The George W. Bush administration has been paying increased attention to Taiwan's security and has recently reiterated the "six assurances" aimed at deterring China from attacking Taiwan militarily, a Japanese daily reported yesterday.

The "six assurances" are nice, but it's not going to stop a Chinese invasion by itself. The Chinese must be convinced the United States is serious about Taiwan. Here's a listing of some of the things the Bush Administration has done.

1. Candiate George Bush said he would do "whatever it takes" to help Taiwan defend itself.

2. President Bush continued EP-3 flights off China's coast after China insisted that it be stopped.

3. Sec. of Defense Rumsfeld wants to shift US military might from Europe to the Pacific. There were reports that weapons and parts were already being shifted to the region pre-9/11.

4. A "leaked" pentagon report included instructions to develop plans for battlefield nuclear weapons to be used against China during a war over Taiwan.

5. A missile defense system would make China's strategic nuclear forces against the US obsolete.

6. The US war in Afghanistan has allowed the US to break a potential military alliance between China and several central Asian countries.

7. President Bush allowed the largest sell of military equipment to Taiwan since his father sold them 150 F-16's in 1991.

8. The Bush administration is going to a lot of trouble to get Taiwan some submarines.

9. The United States supports Taiwan participation in the WHO (World Health Organization) that would help the island break-out of their diplomatic isolation.

10. The United States has talked with the Japanese government about the possibility of providing logistical support in the event of a war with China.

11. The Bush Administration approved the visas of the current Taiwan defense minister and former Taiwan President Lee. Although Lee canceled his trip, US officials did meet with the defense minister during his trip.

Actions speak louder than words. China knows that President Bush is serious about Taiwan's security without talking about the so-called "six assurances".

One other ongoing missed opportunity for the West vis a vis Taiwan is the plebescite that was promised upon Japan's surrender in 1945. At that time, the West were not imagining that hoards of KMT would immediately start to illegally immigrate to the island (even prior to 1949) and turn it into a Sinic nation but one with a significant native Malay, and then colonial Portuguese, Dutch and Japanese history. Even so, a promise is a promise. Today's Taiwanese culture, while Chinese on the surface, still retains significant Malay characteristics, with a spice of the other mentioned cultures, that distinguish it from the PRC or even from Fujien where the majority of Taiwanese of Chinese origin had their ancestry. Back to the plebescite...

I believe that the plebescite would have been among the following choices - independence, stay with Japan, or join (the Republic of) China. So, I say, let's have the plebescite. (Is there a reason why Chen speaks Japanese a lot and visits Japan frequently? I can certainly think of many, many outcomes for Taiwan that would be far worse than rejoining Japan! I say bring it on... plebescite, plebescite, plebescite!)

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