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The Taiwan Relations Act at 30 |
2009-04-04 11:37:37 |
Gerrit
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ip: 59 .X.X.X/.net |
The Taiwan Relations Act at 30
(Report on the Project 2049 seminar by Gerrit van der Wees)
On April 2nd 2009, an important event was held in the USA Capitol: a seminar organized by Mr. Randy Schriver¡¦s Project 2049, which was supported by major Taiwanese-American organizations, such as the Wang Kang-lu Foundation, FAPA, NATPA, TAA-USA, WFTA, WTC and WUFI-USA.
It was the first meeting held in the Conference Center of the brand-new Capitol Visitor Center, and attracted many Taiwanese-Americans from as far away as Ohio and New Jersey.
The seminar was formally opened by Senator Inhofe (R-OK), the co-chair of the Senate Taiwan Caucus, but he had to rush of for a marathon voting session in the Senate on the US Budget. Mr. Schriver started the discussion by saying that we are celebrating the TRA because it has been an excellent ¡§vehicle¡¨ for quality mutual interest between the US and Taiwan, but that it was also a reminder of the break in relations.
Mr. Peter Brookes, who was an aide to Congressman Gilman and served in the Pentagon, was the first speaker. He emphasized that the TRA has provided Congress with ample ¡§stick¡¨ to guide the US policy, especially on arms sales. He said that the Obama Administration should reaffirm the TRA as basis for US policy, and bring strategic clarity.
Ms. Shirley Kan of the Congressional Research Service was the second speaker. She stated that the TRA was a brilliant product of Congress, which had been bypassed by the Carter Administration in the normalization with China process. She emphasized that the TRA neither used the word ¡§unofficial¡¨ to describe relations with Taiwan and didn¡¦t use ¡§One China¡¨ either.
She was highly critical of the Bush Administration for not pushing the sale of arms to Taiwan though until the very last minute. She stated that the Bush Administration had violated the TRA and had frozen Congress out of the process.
The third speaker in the first session was former Taiwan Representative Joseph Wu. He expressed appreciation to Congress for passing the TRA and to the House for passing the resolution reaffirming the TRA as ¡§cornerstone¡¨ in US-Taiwan relations. He especially highlighted the human rights clause, which was so important in Taiwan¡¦s transition to democracy in the 1980s.
But he emphasized that it was equally important now, when Taiwan¡¦s democracy was suffering. He especially mentioned the court cases against DPP officials. He also pointed out that the Ma Administration was linking Taiwan¡¦s economy too closely with that of China. This was threatening Taiwan¡¦s sovereignty and the status quo in which Taiwan is a de fact independent nation.
He also cautioned that Taiwan¡¦s sovereignty would suffer if the Ma government agrees to WHO observership in which Taiwan is under China¡¦s umbrella. He urged the US to be more supportive of human rights, Taiwan¡¦s international participation, and continue to provide Taiwan with defensive weapons.
Mr. Ray Burghardt, the chairman of the Board of AIT, was also given the floor: the emphasized that the central intent of the TRA was ¡§to preserve the relation¡¨ between the US and Taiwan. In that, the TRA had been remarkably successful: he said that AIT ¡§walks and talks like an embassy¡¨, and became a model for other countries. He also told the audience that he told his staff: ¡§Remember, we don¡¦t have to believe our own fictions.¡¨ (implying that ¡§unofficial relations¡¨ were a fiction).
A Q&A session followed, after which Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL) made some remarks.
The second panel was chaired by Mr. Mark Stokes, a former Defense Department official who has done much to support arms sales to Taiwan. The purpose of that panel was to look forward into the future.
Prof. Shelley Rigger from Davidson College in North Carolina stated that Taiwan always has to do a ¡§balancing Act¡¨ between maintaining its separate identity and having good relations with China. She said that Chen Shui-bian had leaned too much in the first direction, and had therefore not been successful. She said that it was too early to tell if Ma¡¦s policy would be successful or not. She said that it would be successful if the Beijing authorities would react positively to the overtures and give Taiwan more international space.
The second speaker in this panel was Mr. James Mulvenon, a specialist on the Chinese military, who focused on the military triangle between the US, Taiwan and China. He emphasized that the TRA had done a lot in maintaining a military balance across the Taiwan Strait, but also described how the ¡§trend lines¡¨ had been in China¡¦s favor. He also asked some very pointed questions on how to proceed US defense cooperation with Taiwan in view of the gradual ¡§rapprochement¡¨ between Taiwan and China, and the fact that Taiwan is now being more economically integrated into China.
The third speaker was Mr. Rupert Hammond Chambers, the Director of the US-Taiwan Business Council. He regretted that no better progress had been made between the US and Taiwan both in TIFA and the possibility of an FTA. He said the US and Taiwan should be more ambitious.
On the ECFA proposed by the Ma administration, he said that ¡§in the short term¡¨ it seems a good idea, but cautioned that in the longer term it may raise tensions, because there is no internal consensus in Taiwan, and there is no certainly at all that it will lead to improved economic ties with other countries in the region.
After a brief Q&A in which FAPA President Bob Yang asked Shelley Rigger whether it wasn¡¦t dangerous to put the success or failure Taiwan¡¦s approach into the hands of the Chinese leaders in Beijing. He asked whether there shouldn¡¦t be a ¡§Plan B¡¨ in case Ma¡¦s approach fails.
The keynote speaker was Mr. Jim Kelly, who served in the first Bush Administration as Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. He primarily read the conclusions of a recent report he had done with recommendations for the Obama administration on US policy for the Asia-Pacific region.
The high point of the afternoon came when Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) came in and spoke. He said that we need to celebrate Taiwan and what it stands for. He said the US doesn¡¦t think enough about the
Achievements of democracy there. He introduced Masao Yu and his wife, who had come from Ohio to attend the gathering, and described how persistent Masao had always been.
He described the 2000 transition to the DPP administration and said it was a ¡§hallmark of democracy.¡¨ He also said that the TRA had laid the groundwork for Taiwan¡¦s prosperity, and emphasized the importance of good labor laws and environmental protection.
He said we need to continue to work for Taiwan¡¦s sovereignty, including full membership in the United Nations, and in the WHO (applause!!). He went into the reasons who Taiwan needs to be directly involved in the WHO: for its own protection, but also because it can contribute so much to others.
He then stated that the US and other Western nations need to break out of the outmoded ¡§One China¡¨ policy and move towards a new ¡§One China, One Tibet, One Taiwan¡¨ policy (loud applause!!).
He concluded by emphasizing the human rights clause in the TRA, and stated that rights violations are taking place and that it should be a central tenet of the government in Taipei to protect rights. He said: I look forward to the 40th anniversary of the TRA and to welcome the AMBASSADOR of Taiwan there (with a nod to Joseph Wu).
This concluded the session.
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