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U.S. Department of State

Daily Press Briefing

MR. REEKER: I don't have a lot to add to what my colleague at the NSC has already given and is there for the record and on the wires, but I know because of your interest I did want to try to accommodate and so I've talked to people in the building. Without taking the question, I can talk about China.

We have not seen any extraordinary developments or signs that the PRC is mobilizing for military action in the Taiwan Strait. Of course, we continue to monitor the situation very closely but we have received no warnings or special communications. We've continued contacts with both the PRC and Taiwan urging that neither side take any steps inconsistent with a peaceful resolution of their differences.

Again there is nothing new here. The PRC has reiterated it's longstanding position that it considers Taiwan to be an internal matter and reserves the right to use force. Our policy has been clear and consistent. I basically have the same message that Mr. Rubin has been delivering for several weeks from this podium; President Clinton and other U.S. officials have made it unmistakably clear, both publicly and privately, to the PRC that the differences between the PRC and Taiwan should be resolved by those parties in a peaceful manner. It's up to the two sides to take actions that foster dialogue, reduce tensions, and promote mutual understanding and to refrain from actions or statements that would increase tensions or make dialogue more difficult to achieve.

QUESTION: I'm speechless.

QUESTION: I don't know how far - whether you have anything there on this, but what do you make of the idea that China has sent emissaries - lower-level emissaries to these think tanks, Charles Freeman-types, knowing that they would pass the message on to the Administration, telling them, you know, trying to get from them how far they could go militarily without invoking a response from the United States? I mean, maybe you haven't received - had a formal demarche or whatever you would call it in this case, but those are certainly - what was in the paper today is certainly a message to the Administration, a very clear message.

MR. REEKER: I think my colleague at the NSC was fairly straightforward in saying that he would steer you away from some of the reports that were in the paper today and we have read those reports. Again, I can just reiterate that we don't see anything new. We see reiterations of longstanding positions, the same type of commentary that we have seen for a long time and what we are observing is no different than what we have observed for the last several weeks.

QUESTION: Sid asked you about emissaries making contact with think tank types. Now, you used the phrase "steering away." Could you tell us what you're steering us -

MR. REEKER: He mentioned the reports in the paper and I was referring you to Mr. Leavy's comments about steering people away from those reports.

QUESTION: Concerning - I thought he was denying that the Chinese had warned Administration officials about possible --

MR. REEKER: I read it as broadly looking at those reports. What I am trying to say here as the bottom line, as I said, is that we don't see anything new. We see reiteration of longstanding positions and our policy remains clear and consistent and our take on the situation is the same as it has been for the last several weeks.

QUESTION: Is there going to be any movement of military assets to the region, any upcoming arms sales to Taiwan?

MR. REEKER: I would have to refer you to the Pentagon. I don't have any information on that other than what has been in the last few weeks.

QUESTION: Could we talk about the no warning or special communications with the Administration? One of the things the Times piece specifically said, I believe, is that the Administration was told or the Administration got this information. Has the Administration been told about these various possibilities from low-level Chinese officials or was that just through think tank people?

MR. REEKER: What I can tell you is we've had meetings, as you know, over the past several weeks and contacts with the Chinese and with the Taiwanese. Assistant Secretary Roth did meet with the Chinese charge earlier this week and they discussed bilateral issues as part of our ongoing bilateral dialogue. I would just refer you again to what I said at the beginning, that we have not seen any extraordinary developments or signs of anything extraordinary in the Straits and there are no warnings or special communications.

QUESTION: But beyond that, I mean warnings, special communications or anything extraordinary, and you keep saying there is nothing new here. Wouldn't it be new if Chinese officials, low-level Chinese officials are telling think tank people in a sense to sort of get the word out? You don't consider that new or something to pay attention to?

MR. REEKER: I think our position is that the PRC has been reiterating its longstanding position that it considers Taiwan to be an internal matter and reserves the right to use force. And that message has been out there for many years.

QUESTION: But isn't there a new dimension when a fellow from Rand is told by a Chinese official, "We will take action." "I can't say what action we will take." Isn't that something new in the equation?

MR. REEKER: All I can go back to is the type of message that we are hearing is a reiterating of the longstanding position. And we don't see anything new here.

QUESTION: The longstanding position being that?

MR. REEKER: The PRC's longstanding position that it considers Taiwan to be an internal matter and has always said that they reserve the right to use force.

QUESTION: But they're not saying we plan to use force in the near future?

MR. REEKER: And we have no indication of that.

QUESTION: You don't have that. Can you tell us whether Assistant Secretary Roth discussed military matters during his meeting with the charge this week?

MR. REEKER: I know they discussed bilateral issues, and I don't have a detailed readout on that.

QUESTION: Can you tackle the notion that, in spite of three solid years now of trying to pursue an policy of engagement with China, relations have never been worse?

MR. REEKER: I wouldn't even begin to address that question. We can save that for Mr. Rubin when he comes back.

QUESTION: Can you tell us whether the United States would like the Taiwanese authorities to make a more satisfactory retraction of their state-to-state position?

MR. REEKER: I think Mr. Rubin has addressed that repeatedly over the last several weeks so I would just refer you back to his transcripts because I have absolutely nothing new on that.

QUESTION: Is there any travel to China? Is anybody going to China to talk to them in meetings coming up before Clinton?

MR. REEKER: Not that I know of, no.

QUESTION: Have you - okay. Has Albright talked to anybody?

MR. REEKER: I didn't get anything down from upstairs. I asked all through the building for anything else. They were quite comfortable with this.

QUESTION: With Roth - did Roth call the charge over here? Was it previously scheduled?

MR. REEKER: I don't know that. It was part of a regular bilateral dialogue. I believe it was Tuesday, but someone was supposed to check on that for me.

QUESTION: -- called at the last --

MR. REEKER: I don't believe it was anything extraordinary. It was not extraordinary. I think he came over - I know it was here in this building with Roth and Mr. Liu.

QUESTION: They still haven't sent their ambassador back?

MR. REEKER: To my knowledge, at least, the meeting took place with the charge. I don't know if their ambassador is here or out of town.

QUESTION: After the bombing in Belgrade - I don't think --

MR. REEKER: Similarly, we have a charge there now too, in Beijing.

QUESTION: Well, it's not similarly, come on.

MR. REEKER: That's as much as I've gotten. I combed the building for you.

QUESTION: Is there anything you want to volunteer on any subject?

MR. REEKER: We weren't planning to brief so I wouldn't volunteer anything, per se, but if you have anything else. Sid, didn't you say you had something else that I was going to get you something for?

QUESTION: Oh yeah, jog my memory.

QUESTION: Do you know anything about an Iraqi football team planning to come to the United States to play matches?

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