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US lawmakers stress
import of ¡¥six assurances¡¦
CONCERNS: A letter to the secretary of defense
says the ¡¥six assurances¡¦ should be a second cornerstone ¡X after the TRA ¡X of US
policies toward Taiwan
By William Lowther / Staff Reporter in Washington
Leading members of Congress have written to US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta
to stress the importance of the ¡§six assurances¡¨ that former US president Ronald
Reagan gave to Taiwan.
The letter is the result of considerable discomfort felt by members of the
Congressional Taiwan Caucus after Panetta revealed recently that China had been
informed in advance of a public announcement of new arms sales to Taipei.
There is widespread fear on Capitol Hill that informing Beijing before a public
announcement could eventually lead to consultation about the actual weapons
being sold.
The members of Congress say that the six assurances should be looked upon as a
second cornerstone ¡X after the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) ¡X of US policy toward
Taiwan.
Their letter says: ¡§We noted that, during your recent trip to Asia, you
commented on China¡¦s reaction to the September 2011 US arms sales to Taiwan.¡¨
¡§While expressing appreciation for Beijing¡¦s ¡¥professional and diplomatic¡¦
reaction, you stated that the [US President Barack] Obama Administration had
¡¥given the Chinese a heads up as to what was going to take place,¡¦¡¨ the letter
says. ¡§While notifying the Chinese of -decisions regarding US arms sales to
Taiwan does not explicitly violate the six assurances, we hope that such
notification has not and will not lead to any consultations with the Chinese
government prior to a decision to sell arms to Taiwan.¡¨
The letter was signed by Democrats Shelley Berkley and Gerald Connolly, and
Republicans Phil Gingrey and Mario Diaz-Balart.
All four are co-chairs of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus.
The six assurances, made by Reagan to then-Taiwan president Chiang Ching-kuo
(½±¸g°ê) in July 1982, are: The US will not set a date for ending arms sales to
Taiwan; the US will not hold prior consultations with China on arms sales to
Taiwan; the US will not play any mediation role between Taipei and Beijing; the
US will not revise the TRA; the US will not change its position regarding
sovereignty over Taiwan; and the US will not exert pressure on Taiwan to
negotiate with China.
¡§Along with the TRA, these six assurances form the basis of the overall policy
approach that the US has taken toward Taiwan over 30 years. It is a policy that
has successfully maintained peace in the Taiwan Strait, while providing for
Taiwan¡¦s economic prosperity and political transformation, both of which are to
the enormous benefit of the US,¡¨ the letter says.
Coen Blaauw, an official with the Formosan Association for Public Affairs, said:
¡§This was a good opportunity to remind Secretary Panetta about the six
assurances. They really are the second cornerstone of US relations with Taiwan
and of critical importance.¡¨
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