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U.S. backs Taiwan presidential hopefuls in seeking dialogue with China: Envoy

ROC Central News Agency

06/12/2023 03:15 PM

Taipei, June 12 (CNA) The de facto United States ambassador to Taiwan said last week that Washington supports Taiwan's presidential candidates in seeking to establish dialogue with China as it believes communication would ease ongoing cross-Taiwan Strait tensions.

American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Sandra Oudkirk made the remarks during a TV talk show aired on Friday when asked if she supports the move by Taiwanese presidential candidates to explore the possibility of reconciliation with China to alleviate the tense situation between the sides.

In response, Oudkirk began by saying that she has personally met with all three presidential candidates nominated by the three main political parties in Taiwan, namely, sitting Vice President Lai Ching-te (賴清德), the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) nominee; New Taipei Mayor Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) of the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT), and former Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) of the Taiwan People's Party (TPP).

She said that the AIT has "good working relationships" with the Taipei City government, the New Taipei City government, and the vice president's office, "so we're really familiar with them on a number of issues, not just [as candidates], but a sort of know the person and know the job that they've been doing for the last couple years."

On the cross-strait dialogue issue, the U.S. diplomat praised dialogue as "good, useful and important" for communication.

"The United States is seeking more dialogue and engagement with the PRC, and we would certainly not stand in the way of anyone else wanting to do that," she said.

Though establishing communication channels could be challenging, she noted that she believes all three main political parties in Taiwan have also talked about a desire to communicate.

"They've fashioned it sort of from different angles. But it seems to be a common goal. And it's certainly one that we would support," she added.

Meanwhile, asked about why the U.S. continues to sell weapon systems to Taiwan and if that means a cross-Strait war is inevitable, the AIT director answered: "I don't think war is inevitable."

"But I do think that the best way to deter war or to avoid war, okay, is to have a really good self-defense," she said.

Oudkirk noted it is an objective fact that there is a huge size difference between the populations of the PRC (People's Republic of China) and Taiwan.

"So, Taiwan needs to be flexible and agile, it needs to message deterrence, it needs to message determination. And one way to do that is to have a strong military, a well-trained military, [and] a capable military that people are confident in," she added.

The PRC has curtailed cross-strait exchanges and closed the official dialogue channel since the DPP's President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) assumed office in May 2016 because of her refusal to accept the "1992 consensus."

The "1992 consensus," as the KMT defines it, refers to a tacit understanding reached in 1992 between the then KMT administration and Beijing that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge that there is only "one China," which includes both mainland China and Taiwan, but leaves each side free to interpret what "one China" refers to -- the Republic of China (Taiwan's official name) or the People's Republic of China (PRC, China's official name).

Beijing has never publicly recognized the second part of that interpretation.

The DPP and its supporters reject the concept of "one China," preferring Taiwan to be completely independent of the mainland, and have insisted the "1992 consensus" is only what Beijing wants it to be.

The KMT, meanwhile, argues that the understanding gives the two sides flexibility to get around the disputed issue of Taiwan's status and focus on building good relations.

Oudkirk assumed the directorship of AIT, which represents U.S. interests in Taiwan in the absence of official diplomatic ties, in July 2021, and is the first woman to serve in the role.

She previously served as U.S. senior official for APEC and deputy assistant secretary of state for Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs.

(By Joseph Yeh)

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