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US tries to avoid
Taiwan in S China Sea dispute
NOT JUST SEMANTICS? During a briefing about John
Kerry¡¦s current visit to Asia, a US Department of State official struggled to
keep Taiwan out of the questions
By William Lowther / Staff reporter in WASHINGTON
A senior US Department of State official has been jumping through hoops to avoid
commenting on Taiwan¡¦s territorial claims in the South China Sea.
The incident demonstrates the extreme sensitivity of the situation as US
Secretary of State John Kerry continues with his fourth visit to the
Asia-Pacific region in the past nine months.
While visiting Vietnam and the Philippines, Kerry pledged an additional US$32.5
million for ASEAN members to protect their territorial waters and navigational
freedom in the South China Sea. He said that US maritime security assistance
would now exceed US$156 million over the next two years.
¡§Peace and stability in the South China Sea is a top priority for us and for
countries in the region,¡¨ Kerry said during a press conference with Vietnamese
Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh in Hanoi on Monday. ¡§We are very concerned by
and strongly opposed to coercive and aggressive tactics to advance territorial
claims.¡¨
After announcing on Nov. 23 that it was establishing an air defense
identification zone over the East China Sea, China has claimed a sovereign right
to do the same thing over the South China Sea.
During an earlier background briefing ¡X the details of which have been released
in Washington ¡X a senior official said that Vietnam and the Philippines, as
claimants in the South China Sea, were ¡§faced with significant tensions and the
risk of coercive action that could undermine their interest.¡¨
Right now, the 10 leaders of ASEAN were meeting in Japan ¡§and undoubtedly
comparing notes on the South China Sea and the East China Sea,¡¨ the official
said.
The official said the issue for the US was not who wins the sovereignty
argument, but rather how that argument is conducted.
¡§Our concern is with behavior and we categorically oppose the threat or the use
of force,¡¨ he said. ¡§We similarly oppose unilateral actions that aim at
advancing a claim through extralegal and non-diplomatic means.¡¨
After saying there were five claimants in the South China Sea, including China,
the official was asked if there were not in fact six claimants, including
Taiwan.
¡§Is this a trick question?¡¨ asked the official, who cannot be named under the
rules of the briefing.
A reporter said: ¡§I¡¦m not asking you to call Taiwan a country. I¡¦m asking you to
call it a claimant because I think it is.¡¨
¡§Yeah, that¡¦s an interesting theological question,¡¨ the official replied.
At that point the reporter asked: ¡§Is it or not? Or, are you saying that China¡¦s
claim would include Taiwan¡¦s claim, just because of your ¡¥one China¡¦ policy?¡¨
The official said that Taiwan was not involved in the discussions among
claimants.
¡§They are not involved because the Chinese refuse to recognize them as a country
and they can¡¦t get into any of the organizations that would help them,¡¨ the
reporter said. ¡§I mean, they can¡¦t get into ASEAN, they can¡¦t get into the UN,
but they are a claimant.¡¨
The senior official replied: ¡§Let¡¦s just say that there are five countries that
have competing claims in the South China Sea.¡¨
At that point he steered the questioning away from Taiwan and onto other topics
being covered during Kerry¡¦s trip.
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