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PRESIDENT URGES U.S. TO REAFFIRM 6 ASSURANCES TO TAIWAN

ROC Central News Agency

2007-06-14 23:47:28

    Taipei, June 14 (CNA) President Chen Shui-bian urged the United States Thursday to reaffirm at an opportune time the "Six Assurances" it made to Taiwan in 1982 so as to underscore that there has been no change in its stance on Taiwan's sovereign status and prevent China from downgrading Taiwan in the international community.

    Chen made the appeal while meeting with Raymond Burghardt who, as the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) chairman, is the top U.S. liaison officer with Taiwan in the absence of formal diplomatic ties.

    Chen told Burghardt, who arrived in Taipei Wednesday to inspect AIT operations here, that the U.S. government's failure to insist on its support for Taiwan has allowed the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) to alter Taiwan's status in the body from a sovereign state to that of a non-sovereign regional member.

    Under pressure from China, the OIE passed a resolution at its annual conference held in Paris last month which downgraded Taiwan's status to that of a non-sovereign regional member and changed Taiwan's moniker in the organization from "Taipei China" to "Chinese Taipei."

    China originally pushed the OIE to change Taiwan's designation to "Taiwan, China, " a title that implies Taiwan is under China's jurisdiction.

    Following expressions of grave concern from the Bush administration, Chen said, the OIE later agreed to refer to Taiwan as "Chinese Taipei, " a title that Taiwan now uses in the International Olympic Games and doesn't imply Taiwan's relations with the People's Republic of China (PRC). "Although we are not satisfied with the 'Chinese Taipei' title, we still very much appreciate American assistance," Chen said.

    Nevertheless, Chen said it was regrettable that the U.S. government failed to insist on its stance on Taiwan's sovereign status and eventually acquiesced in the OIE's change of Taiwan's membership status at the world body.

    According to Chen, downgrading of Taiwan's status at the OIE violates the "Six Assurances" the U.S. made to Taiwan in 1982. Those assurances include a promise that the United States would not alter its position on the sovereignty of Taiwan, which was that the question was one to be decided peacefully by the Chinese themselves; that it would not pressure Taiwan to enter into negotiations with China; and that the United States would not formally recognize Chinese sovereignty over Taiwan.

    Chen said he earnestly hopes that the U.S. government can reaffirm at an opportune time or in an opportune setting that its "Six Assurances" to Taiwan remain unchanged.

    Meanwhile, Chen said Taiwan looks forward to join the U.N. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. Regrettably, he said U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon rejected Taiwan's participation and even returned Taiwan's application instrument.

    Even more outrageously, Chen said, Ban mentioned that the 1971 U.N. Resolution No. 2758 recognized Taiwan as part of the PRC. That's a lie, Chen said, insisting that Resolution 2758 didn't mention Taiwan's ties with the PRC. The resolution only allowed Beijing to take the "China" seat at the expense of Taipei.

    To the best of his understanding, chen said the U.S. "one China" policy, including its Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, and the Six Assurances of 1982, never recognizes Taiwan as part of the PRC.

    During his talks with the AIT chairman, Chen also said that he will never back off the "four noes" pledge he made in his 2000 and 2004 inaugural addresses to the U.S. government and the whole world.

    Chen's now famous "four noes" pledge refers to a promise that so long as China has no intention to use force against Taiwan, he will not declare Taiwan independence, not change Taiwan's title or national flag, not enshrine in the Constitution the "two state" notion in addressing cross-Taiwan Strait relation and not hold a "unification versus independence" referendum to change the cross-strait status quo.

(By Sofia Wu)

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