• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

U.S. Department of State

Daily Press Briefing

.................

QUESTION: Has there been any word from the Taipei talks?

MR. RUBIN: Yes. On that issue, let me say that Darryl Johnson, the Director of the American Institute in Taiwan's Taipei office had a 40-minute meeting with President Lee Teng- hui today. During the meeting they discussed Lee's recent comments on cross-Strait relations. Director Johnson reiterated our policy, underscoring our adherence to the one-China policy. He noted the importance that we attach to meaningful, substantive dialogue between the two sides, and our view that it is not beneficial for either side to take steps which make holding this type of substantive cross-Strait dialogue more difficult.

President Lee reviewed what he had said in his interview. Let me point out that the official Taiwan central news agency commented after the meeting that what President Lee said to us was that Taiwan's mainland policy remains unchanged. They would have to describe their version of what was said in the meeting. So I'm giving you a source for what they've said occurred in the meeting. From our standpoint, we still believe that both sides should keep up their efforts to achieve the next round of cross-Strait talks envisioned and planned for taking place this fall. We hope and urge the parties to not make any statements or take any actions that makes it harder to have those discussions.

QUESTION: I understand that those talks had been held on a government-to-government basis without any problem. But the problem arose when the President wanted to have them on a state-to-state basis. Does the US have any preference or objections or view on all of this?

MR. RUBIN: I think we discussed this in detail yesterday, Barry. What I said was that yesterday we think any statements that make it harder to have the meaningful dialogue that we support, including the one you mentioned, are not something that we would like to see; they're not beneficial to the process. So both the original statement that you've just reiterated and the reaction in China to that statement are reactions that we think make it harder to resolve the problem.

The way to resolve tension and to resolve the issue is for the two sides to get together in a cross-Strait dialogue. And any statement that makes it harder for that dialogue to take place and to be successful is not something that we consider beneficial.

QUESTION: Did the President - are you satisfied with the meeting? Did the President alleviate the concerns that you or maybe Jim expressed a couple of days ago in the meeting? And do things seem to be back where they were prior to this interview with the German paper?

MR. RUBIN: Well, we expressed our point of view in the meeting. We expressed very much similar to what I said to you all yesterday. The official news agency of Taiwan has described what they said the President of Taiwan said. I'm not in a position to report to you precisely what he said in all its nuances, but our view is that only the Taiwanese themselves, and the President in particular, can assure that the necessary policies and statements that are necessary to allow for a cross-Strait dialogue to take place.

We've had a meeting; we've sought clarification. To some extent, there has been a clarification - certainly in the form of the official statement of the Taiwan news agency. So long as the meeting, cross-Strait dialogue, can occur, we will be satisfied. That's what will satisfy us, is to make sure that the meetings take place.

QUESTION: Does the US still have the position that there may have been a translation error in what the President said?

MR. RUBIN: You're like a dog with a bone.

(Laughter.)

QUESTION: Well, come on, I mean, yesterday, you alluded to the fact that there --

MR. RUBIN: You jumped on that bone with full teeth bared.

QUESTION: You know, come on - does the US believe that President Lee said this stuff in the first place? I mean --

MR. RUBIN: I don't think it's a translation issue.

QUESTION: But he didn't deny making the statements to the --

MR. RUBIN: I am not going to describe for you the meeting. I think the bone that you're picking on what I said yesterday about translation, you can take off the list; it's not relevant.

QUESTION: Is China saying - and are we hearing what Lee said as Taiwan saying that, as far as they're concerned, there are two Chinas -- one Taiwan, one China -- rather than one China? Did we also say to Mr. Lee that's not acceptable?

MR. RUBIN: I think we expressed to Mr. Lee the very same concern that I expressed yesterday about statements that would not be beneficial to the continuation of the cross-Strait dialogue that we want to see happen. That's the way we think that progress can be achieved and tensions can be avoided. So that is what we said to President Lee.

QUESTION: China warned Lee, saying he's playing with fire.

MR. RUBIN: Thank you.

(Laughter.)

QUESTION: Any comment?

MR. RUBIN: I don't know what you're referring to. China's a big country and when they accuse people of playing with fire, I'd want to see the quote and see who you are referring to. Certainly, our view is that both President Lee's initial statements and China's reaction to those statements were not beneficial to creating the necessary cross-Strait dialogue.

QUESTION: Just to be clear, when Sid asked you if the US was satisfied with the meeting, I didn't hear you say that the US was satisfied with the meeting that you had with the Taiwanese officials. What did you mean, the statement and the Taiwanese official agency is enough clarification for you that the cross-Strait dialogue will go on or -

MR. RUBIN: Wow, I missed this. That isn't what I intended to say; I didn't think I said that was the official - our view. I pointed you toward that as an example of what the Taiwanese are saying that President Lee said in the meeting, because I'm not prepared to reveal the private meeting to you publicly in all its nuances and details.

The official Taiwanese version of the meeting indicated there has been no change in policy; their policy on the subject is unchanged. That's significant; I, thus, report that to you. That is part of what we heard. I am not going to report all that we heard, but the fact that they're official version of the events indicated that their policy on the subject remains unchanged certainly, we hope, will yield the prospect for a continuation of the cross-Strait dialogue.

As far as what will satisfy us, it's up to the Taiwanese officials themselves to decide what positions to take. Our position is that we think the only way - the only realistic way - to achieve progress between China and Taiwan is to have a cross-Strait dialogue with meaningful, substantive exchanges. So we will be satisfied when that dialogue continues. It was expected to be resumed this fall. That will be the time when we will either be satisfied or unsatisfied.

QUESTION: Do you have an indication that it indeed will be -

MR. RUBIN: That's between the two of them, and I'm not in a position to report their intentions.

QUESTION: What's next? Is the US planning a --

QUESTION: (Inaudible.)

(Laughter.)

QUESTION: I don't want credit for that.

QUESTION: That's tough to follow. So is the US planning on any contacts with the Chinese, now that the US has had this meeting?

MR. RUBIN: I think we've been in contact with the Chinese over the last 24 hours. For example, I believe Deputy Secretary Talbott had a meeting with the Chinese Charge yesterday.

QUESTION: I just want to - maybe you can go at this one more way.

MR. RUBIN: As long as it has nothing to do with translations.

QUESTION: No, nothing to do with translations. Well, it may, actually. You're not - when you refer us to this official Taiwanese news report, you're saying that that's essentially -- it's accurate and you don't have any dispute with that as the content of the meeting, right?

MR. RUBIN: Right.

QUESTION: I'm going to be argumentative that the US or the State Department --

MR. RUBIN: You're always argumentative.

QUESTION: When you hear this, you can say that again because -

(Laughter.)

--you all seem more agitated, more aggravated by statements made of aspirations of people, of leaders of the people in Taiwan - and not all that upset, or not even equally concerned, with remarks from the mainland that - as my friend over here said - that you're playing with fire, we're going to beat the hell out of you. I mean, they've been rather aggressive in their rhetoric. For one thing, have you had a parallel meeting with the people in Beijing to ask them to calm down, to go ahead with these talks in the fall, et cetera? The focus seems to be on trying to assert a one-China policy - which you have a right to do - and to compel the Taiwanese to stop saying such things.

MR. RUBIN: Let me indicate I wouldn't agree with your characterization of what we have been doing. And we have, as I indicated in response to someone's question in just the last two minutes, met with the Charge d'Affaires of China here in Washington - Deputy Secretary Talbott's level. Perhaps that was the time when George was sharing that.

QUESTION: Yes, I was so intrigued with - (inaudible) - I didn't hear that.

MR. RUBIN: So we have had such a meeting, and urged them to go forward with the cross-Strait dialogue. With respect to the views, I think I've been quite clear: not only is it not beneficial to make statements that make the dialogue less likely or less successful, it' not beneficial to make statements that there shouldn't be a dialogue because of the original statement.

QUESTION: They're threatening statements.

MR. RUBIN: And so we've made quite clear that we don't think it's beneficial for either side to make these kind of statements. We want, and have always had, an abiding interest that this issue be resolved peacefully. So with regard to threatening statements, we've always been quite clear that we cannot support anything other than this issue being resolved peacefully.

QUESTION: You said that's part of what we heard?

MR. RUBIN: Right.

QUESTION: You're referring to in the meeting you heard the President say what he has been quoted?

MR. RUBIN: Correct.

QUESTION: Okay, just wanted to be sure.

.................

[end of document]