[News] U.S.State.Dept/Daily Press Briefing : China-Taiwan ...

["DiemQuynh Nguyen" <diemquynhng@hotmail.com>]

>US arms sales to Taiwan are generally opposed by China;
>             US acts in accordance with Taiwan Relations Act, 1972
>             US-China communiques. No extraordinary developments
>             by China noted.
>  CHINA/
>  TAIWAN
>
>  7-8,10
>             US has urged Taiwan and China to dialogue, resolve
>             problems in peaceful manner. US will continue to assist
>             Taiwan with its legitimate defense needs. US has made no
>             decision to provide theater missile defense, other than to
>             protect US forces. Use of force to resolve any dispute
>             would be of grave concern to the US.
>
>. . . . . . WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 1999
>                             Briefer: JAMES P. RUBIN  :
>
>
>QUESTION: Do you have any comment on the detention of an American and
>an Australian in China in Qinghai Province?
>
>MR. RUBIN: Immediately after hearing of this detention, we requested --
>and have since been granted -- consular access.
>The consular officer will be on the first available flight to Qinghai
>Province and will arrive late Friday evening. We have
>urged the Chinese to release the American. We understand they were
>preparing an independent study of the impact of a
>proposed World Bank project. That is our understanding of the
>situation.
>
>QUESTION: I'm wondering, has China communicated recently to the United
>States that it wants to see America gradually
>reduce arms sales to Taiwan, saying that such sales are destabilizing
>to the region and the world? Did such demands -- if they
>were to be classified that way -- come in a letter from President Jiang
>Zemin to President Clinton?
>
>MR. RUBIN: Let me say that President Clinton and President Jiang have
>exchanged correspondence on several occasions in
>recent months. The Secretary of State has spoken to the Foreign
>Minister on several occasions in recent months.
>
>My experience has been that whenever the subject of Taiwan comes up --
>and especially at times when the subject is of
>greater interest -- that the Chinese position has been to oppose arms
>sales to Taiwan in general and to make the points that
>you made.
>
>That is a continuing position of China; they continue to have that
>view. We continue to take the view that we are guided by the
>Taiwan Relations Act and the three communiqués, and will act in
>accordance with those to provide the equipment we think
>appropriate to Taiwan.
>
>QUESTION: Can I just follow that, too? Do you have any comment, just
>reaction to the ambassador's statements today
>basically saying that Taiwan is not Florida, and that the US should not
>interfere in internal matters of Taiwan and China?
>
>MR. RUBIN: Well, our relations with China and our unofficial relations
>with Taiwan have been guided by the Taiwan
>Relations Act and the three communiqués for many years. We think the
>differences between China and Taiwan can be
>resolved peacefully. We think our policy promotes that kind of peaceful
>resolution, and is to the benefit to the people of
>Taiwan as well as to the people of China.
>
>So we act pursuant to those guidelines in a way in which we think
>promotes peace in the region and promotes the welfare and
>well-being of the people of Taiwan and the people of China.
>
>QUESTION: The US still has not seen any extraordinary developments on
>the part of Beijing in terms of movements?
>
>MR. RUBIN: No, we have not seen any extraordinary developments.
>
>QUESTION: The Taiwan Cabinet has announced plans to put forth to
>Parliament the idea of setting up an early warning
>system to detect airborne Chinese planes and missiles and, ultimately,
>to have a total missile defense system. First of all,
>what's your view of that proposal? And in the event Taiwan goes ahead
>with some early warning system, would the United
>States be prepared to help with equipment or advice?
>
>MR. RUBIN: First of all, those are obviously decisions that Taiwan has
>made. With respect to our involvement in them, let
>me say that Taiwan's security in the region depends on more than a
>balance of weapons systems. We have strongly urged both
>China and Taiwan to engage in dialogue and to resolve differences in a
>peaceful manner. That is one of the key components
>of security in the region. The record clearly shows that good US-China
>relations contribute to reduced tensions in the region.
>
>With respect to the specific suggestion on theater missile defense, let
>me say that we will continue to assist Taiwan in
>meeting its legitimate self-defense needs in accordance with the Taiwan
>Relations Act and consistent with the 1982 joint
>communiqué with China.
>
>Among the items Taiwan has already purchased has been technology for
>Taiwan's modified air defense system, which has
>anti-aircraft and anti-missile capabilities. The Taiwan authorities are
>assessing their own capability and needs for missile
>defense, as these comments and suggestions you reported indicate. We
>have made no US decisions here in the United States
>on deployment of theater missile defense systems, other than for the
>protection of American forces in the region.
>
>We do not preclude the possible sale of theater missile defense systems
>to Taiwan in the future. Our interest is in preserving
>peace and stability in the region. It is premature to make that
>decision about theater missile development now, when those
>systems are still under development and both we and others are studying
>this question.
>
>QUESTION: Does it concern you at all that the Chinese Ambassador
>repeatedly today refused to rule out the option of the
>use of force by China against Taiwan?
>
>MR. RUBIN: Well, we've been operating for many years now, as I said in
>response to the previous question, under a
>framework in which our relations have been guided by the Taiwan
>Relations Act and the various communiqués. We believe
>that has been to the benefit of the people of China, the people of
>Taiwan and stability in the region.
>
>For some time now, the Chinese have taken the position you describe.
>There is nothing new about them taking that position;
>they've been taking it for years.
>
>QUESTION: What's your reaction to it?
>
>MR. RUBIN: We believe very strongly, and have said very strongly, that
>all the dispute between China and Taiwan must be
>resolved peacefully. We've made clear that the use of force would be a
>matter of grave concern to the United States.
>
>QUESTION: Follow-up on that. I know that last week you hadn't heard
>this, but I wondered whether this week people in
>think tanks were passing on the message they've been receiving from
>Chinese officials --
>
>MR. RUBIN: I'm not aware of that.
>
>QUESTION: -- on the inevitability of some kind of military gesture by
>the Chinese.
>
>MR. RUBIN: I'm aware of the reports about it; I'm not aware that any of
>those reported outsiders have talked to our people.
>They haven't told me. I can't rule it out; I'm just unaware of it.
>
>QUESTION: -- the ratcheting up of the rhetoric in the
>government-controlled media; for instance, the statement that a neutron
>bomb can take care of an aircraft carrier?
>
>MR. RUBIN: Well, let me just say that we, as a matter of policy, would
>view with grave concern any use of force to resolve
>that dispute. We do not want to engage in a to-ing and fro-ing on who
>can do what under what circumstances. But we would
>view with grave concern any use of force.
>
>QUESTION: Two seconds -- and I don't want to split hairs. I want to go
>back to the two people that were detained in China.
>Is there some reason that you aren't calling on the Chinese to release
>the Australian?
>
>MR. RUBIN: There's no particular reason. Again, as the State Department
>for the United States, our primary responsibility
>is to American citizens overseas.
>
>QUESTION: Yes, but, I mean, you're also calling on the Iranians for the
>release of --
>
>MR. RUBIN: I'm going to get to that, OK? So when an American is taken
>in a situation like this, the first thing we do is call
>for the American to be released. Then we seek access to him, pursuant
>to the Vienna Convention.
>
>I will have to check, but I don't see any reason why the Australian
>shouldn't be released either. It certainly would be our view
>that anyone in this position ought not to be imprisoned for doing what
>was envisaged by the World Bank; and that is to
>examine the project in that area that the Chinese themselves indicated
>they would provide access to.
>
>So -- provided there weren't some internal laws broken, which I'm not
>familiar with -- we call for people in that position to
>be released.
>
>QUESTION: Tell me what exactly the status is of the nomination of
>Admiral Prueher as Ambassador to China. It seems to
>me that at this point in time with everything going on in the US-China
>relationship that it's really vital to have an ambassador
>there. It would seem that placing that on fast track would put us in a
>--
>
>MR. RUBIN: It is the prerogative of the President to nominate
>ambassadors for countries; so therefore, that question is best
>directed at the White House. I don't believe they've nominated an
>ambassador formally. So anything I say will be
>inappropriate.
>
>QUESTION: The Chinese ambassador this morning seemed to be particularly
>concerned that American defense of Taiwan
>would become an issue in the presidential campaign. For instance,
>George W. Bush yesterday promised that if he becomes
>president he would defend Taiwan's independence. The ambassador said
>this morning, "A few American politicians have
>already said the US would defend Taiwan against invasion. I believe
>this is a very dangerous statement. The Chinese people
>will not be cowed by anybody's threats or blackmail." Are you concerned
>that this delicate issue of whether or not we would
>defend Taiwan is becoming an issue in the presidential campaign?
>
>MR. RUBIN: Wow. Good question; well-formulated, well-researched. The
>only thing I can do in a situation like this is to
>quote Secretary Albright, which is that she had her partisan instincts
>surgically removed when she took the post of Secretary
>of State. Since I work for someone who has no partisan instincts left
>after being surgically removed, I certainly wouldn't want
>to say anything that could even be construed as partisan.
>
>
>What I can say is that it is the view of this Administration and this
>President and this Secretary of State that the issue of
>Taiwan is best dealt with through the means that we have been dealing
>with it. That is, encouraging dialogue between Taiwan
>and China; acting pursuant to the Taiwan Relations Act; pursuing a
>relationship with China that advances the national security
>of the United States through improvements in their practices on
>non-proliferation, cooperation with respect to the issue of
>North Korea, and other matters that I've repeated endlessly here in the
>briefing room. That is our view.
>
>I am confident that the Chinese understand our political process,
>having worked with this country through several different
>administrations that have changed. I would hope they would understand
>the democratic process and act according to that
>understanding.
>
>How did I do, by the way, on that? Did I navigate it OK?
>
>(Laughter.)
>
>QUESTION: It seems that Beijing is not only directing their threats
>towards Taiwan, but they're directing them towards the
>United States. I mean, the statements that are coming out of there are
>very strong. Are you all alarmed at those type of
>statements?
>
>MR. RUBIN: As I indicated, we believe that the issue of Taiwan must be
>resolved peacefully. We would view with grave
>concern any attempt to use military force. That is our view. In the
>meantime, we will continue to work with China and work
>through our unofficial relationship with Taiwan to promote a peaceful
>dialogue. That is our position.


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