Washington, March 31 (CNA) Beijing has still not made up its mind and is actively debating what its approach will be in response to the election of pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Chen Shui-bian as the new president of the Republic of China, a ranking US defense official said here on Thursday.
Commenting of Beijing's response to Chen's election, Kurt Campbell, deputy assistant secretary of defense for Asia and the Pacific, said according to his experience in government, when a government says "we'll watch and look at actions," it is generally an indication of really not knowing what to do in the current environment. "I wouldn't at all be surprised if some of that is going on now in Beijing," he said.
Campbell made the remarks in his speech to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think-tank. He noted "we're at an unusually delicate juncture in cross-strait relations and US-Sino relations and US relations in cross-strait matters."
"I can't think of anything that undermines confidence in a cross-strait situation more than a rapid buildup of missiles across the Taiwan Strait," said Campbell, referring to Beijing's recent missile deployment in Fujian province, directly across the strait from Taiwan.
"We've tried to make clear in every diplomatic communication that this progression will not help confidence in Taiwan and it reduces our confidence in the PRC statements about its desire to work these issues out peacefully," he noted.
He added that "the most important thing that I think could happen in the short term would be restraint and Beijing thinking long and hard and carefully about whether these actions are actually undermining or advancing the PRC's interests in cross-strait situations."
On President-elect Chen Shui-bian's speech after winning the presidential election on how he will endeavor to improve cross-strait relations, Campbell said that he was very impressed. "I think it demonstrates the person understands both Taiwan's interests and his own interests and reaching out to a variety of countries, including the United States, Japan and the PRC," he noted.
In regard to Chen's appointment of Kuomintang-government Defense Minister Tang Fei as premier in his new administration, Campbell called it a "master-stroke," adding that he thinks "it sends a very powerful signal to the military that Taiwan's military is not a tool of the KMT. It's a national institution that must be preserved and protected for the maintenance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait."
"It's a good statement. It augurs well. It suggests that he's reaching out to broaden the base of support for his government," Campbell noted.
Meanwhile, Campbell stressed that the United States will continue to provide Taiwan with "prudent and responsible defensive support."
"It is wrong to view this commitment as a variable that's going to go up or down. That's going to be a constant in this relationship as we go forward," he added. (By Jay Chen and Deborah Kuo)
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