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Hu-Obama meeting unlikely to jeopardize U.S.-Taiwan ties: envoy

ROC Central News Agency

2011/01/03 12:12:53

Washington, Jan. 2 (CNA) Taiwan's top representative to the United States, Jason Yuan, said in Washington Sunday that he does not think the upcoming visit to the U.S. by China President Hu Jintao will jeopardize Taiwan's interests.

Yuan said that currently Taiwan-U.S. relations are "the best in 60 years," -- as described by former U.S. Ambassador to China Winston Lord. This can mainly attributed to President Ma Ying-jeou's "surprise-free" approach, which has won praise in Washington and has helped stabilize bilateral relations, he said.

Washington has recently briefed Taiwan on Hu's visit to the U.S., which is scheduled for Jan. 18-20, and has agreed that in the future it will brief Taiwan before and immediately after important U.S.-China meetings, Yuan said.

Washington has also given the assurance that it will not allow Hu's visit to jeopardize U.S. relations with any other country, the diplomat said.

Taiwan was informed at the briefing that the situation on the Korean peninsula will be the focus of the Hu-Obama talks, Yuan said. The U.S. has been looking to Beijing to help address the North Korean nuclear weapons issue and help maintain peace on the Korean Peninsula, he added.

Yuan has just returned to the U.S. after a visit to Taiwan during which he told a legislative committee that he does not think Hu and Obama will issue a joint statement after their meeting in Washington.

Taiwan's legislators expressed disappointment over a China-U.S. joint statement issued in November 2009 during President Obama's visit to Beijing.

In the statement, the two countries underscored "the importance of the Taiwan issue in U.S.-China relations." China further emphasized that "the Taiwan issue concerns China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, " and expressed the hope that the U.S. would "honor its relevant commitments and appreciate and support the Chinese side's position on this issue."

Bonnie Glaser, a Washington-based China studies expert, said in a recent symposium that it would be extremely surprising if Hu and Obama issued another joint statement this time.

(By Jorge Liu and Deborah Kuo)

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