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Obama reiterates U.S. obligation to provide Taiwan with arms

ROC Central News Agency

2013/06/09 21:31:32

Washington, June 8 (CNA) United States President Barack Obama told Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during their summit in California that the U.S. was clear about its commitments to Taiwan under the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA), 'including to provide for Taiwan's self-defense needs,' an Obama aide said Saturday.

Ben Rhodes, a deputy national security adviser to the U.S. president, said 'the Chinese side raised the issue of Taiwan as they often do. The president (is) clearly committed to our one China policy based on the three communiques and Taiwan Relations Act.'

The TRA, enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1979 when Washington and Taipei severed diplomatic ties, commits the U.S. to providing Taiwan with defensive arms.

'The President noted that we strongly support the progress at improving relations both sides of Taiwan Strait have made in recent years. We hope the progress will continue and in a manner acceptable to both sides,' Rhodes said.

Taiwan was one of many issues on the agenda of the two-day Obama-Xi summit. During their talks, Xi urged Obama to follow the 'one-China' policy, adhere to the three communiques on which the two sides' ties are based and not sell arms to Taiwan, according to Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi.

King Pu-tsung, Taiwan's representative to the U.S., said after the meeting between Obama and Xi that Washington, which has adhered to its commitment to Taiwan under the Taiwan Relations Act, had not changed its policy on Taiwan in any way.

There were no signs prior to the summit that the meeting between the two leaders would yield any changes in Washington's direction on Taiwan, but Taipei was wary of any surprises that may have emerged from the talks.

In the end, the two leaders seemed far more focused on discussing cybersecurity, with Obama confronting Xi with evidence of China's cyber thievery, and North Korea, on which the two sides appeared to have found common ground, than on spending time on Taiwan.

Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement welcoming Obama's remarks regarding Taiwan.

(By Tony Liao, Oscar Wu and Maubo Chang)
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