US envoy says US position on Taiwan remains unchanged chairwoman (Roundup)

Nov 23, 2009, 12:28 GMT

   Taipei - A US envoy on Monday assured Taipei that the US position on Taiwan remains unchanged despite President Barack Obama's visit to China.

   Raymond Burghardt, chairman of the American Institute in Taiwan and the highest-ranking US official handling Taiwan ties, gave the assurance to Parliament Speaker Wang Jin-pyng.

   Burghardt arrived in Taipei Sunday to brief authorities on Obama's talks last week with Chinese President Hu Jintao, as many Taiwanese are worried that Obama did not speak up for Taiwan on his China trip.

   'President Obama did not in any way change our long-standing position on Taiwan,' Burghardt said.

   He said that Obama raised the issue of Taiwan, and arms sales to Taiwan, during his private talks with Hu in Beijing.

   The US position on Taiwan 'would remain unchanged during his (Obama's) administration,' he added.

   Regarding Taiwan consumers protesting Taipei's plan to further relax restrictions on US beef imports, Burghardt said Americans eat the same beef that is exported to foreign countries.

The beef is processed the same way, so there should be no safety fears, he noted.

   Later in the day, Burghardt met with Tsai Ying-wen, chairwoman of the pro-independence opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

   The two met for more than an hour and had a 'heated discussion, including debate,' on if the US still honours the Taiwan Relations Act, under which Washington promises to sell defensive arms to Taipei, according to the Central News Agency (CNA).

   Tsai said DPP cannot accept Obama's allowing the words - 'the US respects China's sovereign and territorial integrity' - to be written into the joint statement he signed with Chinese President Hu Jintao in Beijing last week, and worried that US-Taiwan ties have regressed.

   Tsai asked Burghardt to openly state that the Taiwan Relations Act is still the most important pillar in US-Taiwan ties, and according to the law, the US is obliged to sell defensive arms to Taipei, CNA said.

   Burghardt is scheduled to meet with President Ma Ying-jeou Tuesday.

   Also on Monday, Burghardt met with Lai Shin-yuan, chairwoman of the Mainland Affairs Council which sets policies towards China.

   Lai stressed that Taiwan is a sovereign and independent country and it not part of China, according to CNA.

   She asked the US government to declare in the shortest time that while the US supports Taiwan and China's improving ties, US position on Taiwan's sovereignty remains unchanged.

   Burghardt said the US encourages Taipei-Beijing dialogue, but is not pushing Taiwan to launch political negotiations with China.