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AIT chair repeats US
‘neutrality’ in presidential poll
TAIWAN’S PREROGATIVE: Raymond Burghardt said he
doubted the voting outcome was affected by what any American had said, despite
officials’ anti-DPP positions
By Chris Wang / Staff Reporter
American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Chairman Raymond Burghardt reiterated
yesterday the US government’s neutrality in the Jan. 14 presidential election
after the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) expressed concerns over US
preference for specific political parties and its ramifications.
Burghardt, who began his visit to Taiwan on Sunday and leaves on Thursday — his
12th visit since February 2006 — sat down with Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng
(王金平) yesterday morning before meeting DPP representative Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) in
the afternoon.
The main objective of the visit is to “get [the US and Taiwan] on the right
foot” on a range of bilateral issues as President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) begins his
second term after winning his re-election bid, Burghardt told reporters after
his 60-minute meeting with Wang.
Asked if the US government was able to maintain a neutral position throughout
the presidential election, Burghardt said the answer was yes.
“I doubt that anything any American said had very much importance on how things
came out,” Burghardt said, adding that Taiwanese made the decision in the
election based upon several factors.
The important thing for the US is that it was a democratic and free election and
has shown the maturity of Taiwan’s democracy, which has now become part of
Taiwan’s identity, he said.
During the presidential campaign, an unnamed senior US official told the
Financial Times that the US was concerned a win by then-DPP presidential
candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) could “jeopardize” cross-strait stability. That
official is believed to have been US National Security Adviser Thomas Donilon.
Former AIT director Douglas Paal, who visited Taiwan during the final week of
the campaign in an individual capacity, publicly endorsed the so-called “1992
consensus,” one of the most debated campaign issues between the DPP and Ma’s
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
However, Hsiao, deputy executive officer of the New Frontier Foundation, the
DPP’s think tank, expressed concern to Burghardt over a lack of US neutrality in
the election and its ramifications on regional stability in the Asia-Pacific.
“While the US reiterated its neutrality in the election, some active and former
US officials breached that pledge by their comments during the campaign,” said
Hsiao, who met Burghardt on behalf of Tsai.
“Those comments caused people to doubt the US’ commitment to universal
democratic principles and kept Taiwanese from making choices free of foreign
interference and threats,” she said.
The DPP was concerned about increasing political, economic and military pressure
from Beijing in the future after the re-election of Ma, whose composure would be
a question, Hsiao said.
The DPP urged the US to abide by the Taiwan Relations Act to “safeguard Taiwan’s
security and freedom,” she said.
Tsai does not plan to meet with Burghardt because she is in the middle of a
nine-day “thank-you trip” to express gratitude to voters nationwide for their
support during the election, Hsiao said.
Relaying Burghardt’s messages to the media after the meeting, Wang said his
visitor had focused on three aspects — trade and investment, military exchanges
and security, and cross-strait relations.
Wang said Burghardt said the US would like to “be informed before the Ma
administration made decisions regarding cross-strait relations.”
In response to a reporter’s question, Wang declined to interpret the comment as
a complaint about a lack of transparency on cross-strait developments during
Ma’s first term.
Burghardt did not mention in the conversation Taiwan’s US beef ban, which was
considered a crucial factor in the stalled bilateral negotiations on the Trade
and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA), only saying that he was in Taiwan to
discuss a wide range of trade issues, Wang said.
“However, everyone, including you and me, knows very well why the TIFA talks
were suspended and why the issues are being brought up again since the election
is now over,” Wang said.
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