Transcript: White House Daily Briefing, Friday, August 13, 1999
(DoD, China/Taiwan, Ethiopia/Eritrea, Clinton week ahead) (3180)
White House Press Secretaries Barry Toiv and David Leavy briefed.
Following is the White House transcript:
(begin transcript)
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
August 13, 1999
PRESS BRIEFING BY DEPUTY PRESS SECRETARIES BARRY TOIV AND DAVID LEAVY
The Briefing Room
12:30 P.M. EDT
...............
Q: I understand that China has not conveyed any explicit threats to
the United States in regards to Taiwan. But can you characterize what
has changed? Has there been any ratcheting up of the rhetoric of the
implied threats, of the indications that you're getting that they may
be more bellicose towards Taiwan?
LEAVY: Let me just say, Bill, a couple of things generally. One, the
peace and stability in East Asia and the Pacific is a fundamental
national interest to the United States. We are certainly watching
developments closely, have been in contact with both sides about our
concerns and about reiterating our policy of resuming peaceful
dialogue.
Just specifically on your question, it is my understanding that the
intelligence community has not seen any extraordinary developments or
signs that the PRC is mobilizing for military action in the Taiwan
Strait.
Q: Would you say that there has been a ratcheting up of the rhetoric
in diplomatic channels? Are they trying to send signals?
LEAVY: Well, I don't want to characterize, Kevin, other people's
rhetoric, other people's statements. I think there has obviously been
some increased tension in the Strait over the last several weeks. That
comes as no surprise to any of us or anybody in this room. We've
talked about that. But I think what we have to do is look forward, and
we have communicated to both sides that there is a danger of
escalating tensions, that we have to resume a dialog based on a One
China formula. And we're going to continue to do that.
Q: Specifically, there was one report that the embassy here had been
saying that they are going to take action.
LEAVY: I would steer you away from that report. As I said earlier
today, we have not received any threats or ultimatums from the PRC. I
checked about that again this afternoon, earlier this afternoon, and
that was confirmed. So, I would steer you away from that report.
I would just say, though, generally, that there is nothing new in
China's long-standing position. They have made clear that from their
point of view Taiwan is an internal matter, and they hope that there
is peaceful reunification, but they don't rule out military means. We
have a long-standing disagreement on that. So I don't think any -- the
context is not new.
Q: Does the United States still have a commitment to go to the defense
of Taiwan, should there be an unprovoked attack from the mainland?
LEAVY: Our long-standing position -- this goes back many years, both
Republican and Democratic administrations -- is that any effort to
resolve the issue of Taiwan by other than peaceful means would be
considered of grave concern to the United States. That position hasn't
changed today.
Q: How would you view a Chinese seizure of a small Taiwan-controlled
island, or some smaller military action?
LEAVY: See, that's the kind of hypothetical question that I want to
avoid getting into. Again, the Taiwan Relations Act has been in place
for many years. It has guided our relationship on this issue, our
policy on this issue. And I don't want to change, or speculate on
hypotheticals today.
Q: David, is there concern that the U.S. might get drawn into
something because of this rhetoric?
LEAVY: Oh, I think there's concern that the interests of both sides
won't be advanced. The One China policy that the President has
advocated -- and that has been the foundation of our approach to this
issue for many, many years -- has been successful for all sides. Both
China and Taiwan have benefited economically. Taiwan's the
sixth-largest economy in the world. Chinese economic growth has grown
vastly over the last 20 years.
So the formula is a successful one. We don't see the need to change
that, and we have no intention of changing that.
Q: Let me follow, too. You said no one had contacted the United States
with a threat. Has anyone from either side, Taiwan or China, contacted
the United States with a concern over the rhetoric, a concern over the
threat?
LEAVY: Well, we've had a number of discussions, both at the State
Department and with officials in China. As you remember, the State
Department sent Assistant Secretary Stanley Roth and Ken Lieberthal
from the National Security Council, several weeks ago, to Beijing to
discuss our concern about the rising rhetoric, and a need to get back
to a dialogue and to get back to the two parties talking about the
issues. And so we have been engaged on this issue. And certainly,
there is a concern that this kind of thing leads to accidents, leads
to misunderstandings, and that we want to focus both parties on
getting back to the table.
Q: You said -- you made a point of saying that there were no
extraordinary signs coming into the intelligence community of --
LEAVY: Extraordinary developments or signs.
Q: Right. Does that mean that there is something less than
extraordinary -- or you're telling us what hasn't happened. Can you
tell us what has happened?
LEAVY: Well, I want to stay away from commenting on intelligence
capabilities and what we do and don't know. I think that's a line we
haven't crossed, and appropriately so. But, as I said earlier, it's
our judgment, the United States government's judgment, that there
aren't any extraordinary developments or signs that there is a
mobilization on the PRC's part.
Q: David, can you clarify just the conversations between the
administration and the Taiwan and Chinese government? Have those
conversations been stepped up in recent days? And at what level, if
you can clarify, have these conversations been going?
LEAVY: I don't think there has been a stepping up over recent days.
Since this issue came to the forefront several weeks ago, we've had a
number of discussions with the PRC and with people on Taiwan. There is
nothing new in the last several days that I'm aware of.
Our general approach hasn't changed, though, and let me just repeat it
again. The United States has a One-China policy. Our approach is based
on dialogue between the two sides and a peaceful resolution of any
differences. We've communicated that and we will continue to do so.
Q: Let's put the intelligence community issue aside for a minute. If
you look in the newspaper this morning, there are several people
quoted on the record saying Chinese government representatives came to
speak with them and made bellicose statements that there was some sort
of imminent military action likely against Taiwan. Is that troubling
-- those facts, which are known facts, are they troubling to the
administration?
LEAVY: Well, again, I don't think there is anything new in what we are
hearing. China has a longstanding position that any -- that Taiwan is
an internal matter, that they want to see it resolved peacefully, but
they don't rule out the use of force. We have a disagreement with
that. We don't think that's the way to go. We think there has to be a
peaceful resolution to this issue. It has to come through dialogue.
And so there is nothing new in that articulation of those themes. I
don't think anyone from the United States government was quoted in
those stories, and as I said earlier, no one from the administration
has been approached about any particular threat or ultimatum.
Q: But the analysts -- just to follow up -- these analysts who were
quoted, who are respected China analysts, say that they did feel that
there was something imminent, or that there was something new. The
U.S. government just doesn't agree with that?
LEAVY: No, I can't speak to that. As I said, we haven't been
approached with any specific threat or any specific warning. And just
the general notion that this is a new policy I would just push back
on, because this is something that President Jiang and other Chinese
leaders have articulated for some time. So the Chinese have not ruled
out the use of military force. We disagree with them. We've made that
clear. Our policy is peaceful dialogue.
Q: The question goes, though, David to whether this is imminent or
not. We know that that is their policy, but there seem to be signals
that something may happen sooner rather than later.
LEAVY: Well, I don't have any indication of that. And as I said
earlier, it's our intelligence community's best judgment that there
aren't any signs that there is PRC military activity underway.
Q: What kind of activities, if any, is the President himself engaged
in relative to this topic?
LEAVY: Well, he hasn't been engaged over the last 24 hours. As you
know, we will be seeing President Jiang at APEC in Auckland, New
Zealand, the first week of September. That's going to be an important
time for the two leaders to engage on this issue and a number of
issues, including trade, human rights, non-proliferation, I believe
that will be on the margins of the APEC Summit. So I think that will
be the next opportunity for the President to sit down with President
Jiang and go over the wide range of bilateral issues.
Q: But he hasn't been consulting in recent days with his own advisors
and what to do about this?
LEAVY: Well Mr. Berger has kept him up to date. I believe he briefed
him this morning, or he will early this afternoon. But he hasn't been
engaged personally.
Q: David, as far as the policy, how do you respond to Republican
allegations that when it comes time to pressuring China and Taiwan on
this issue, the Clinton administration has only been putting pressure
on Taiwan to ratchet down tensions?
LEAVY: I would reject that. The United States takes actions based on
our own interests. We have had a formula that has managed this issue
for some time that's been both Republican and Democratic
administrations. As I said earlier, it has benefited all the parties
-- Taiwan, the PRC, the United States. We're going to continue to do
that. I think it's not for us to pressure anybody, but to make clear
that both sides -- their agendas can be advanced, their prosperity,
their security can be advanced by peaceful dialogue.
.............
(end transcript)
|
NEWSLETTER
|
|
Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list
|
|
|
