Chen Shi Bian - raising alarm
Taiwan has cuts links with China in renewed tension after President Chen Shui Bian suspended the National Unification Council. Politics is said to be the main reason behind the move. His pro-independence stance may be intended to boost his popularity with the electorate. But in a speech Chen said, “We are trying to defend human rights in Taiwan”. The move puts President Bush in a difficult position after America’s resolve to support Taiwan. In a speech in Kyoto, Japan last year George Bush reiterated his long standing support for an independent Taiwan and urged China to follow a greater move towards democracy. In an article published in the New York Times on November 22nd 2005, the US stance was greeted with caution. “President George Bush fanned the flames of the longstanding conflict between China and Taiwan during his November 16 speech in Kyoto, at the start of a week-long state visit to Asia. In urging China to expand openness and allow its people more freedoms, the president used Taiwan as a model, saying Taiwan had brought prosperity to its people by embracing freedom and creating a democratic Chinese society.”
Although the President had iterated that there should be “no unilateral attempts to change the status by either side,” he insisted that “the United States will continue to stress the need for dialogue between China and Taiwan that leads to a peaceful resolution of their differences”. But China is unlikely to be influenced by all the rhetoric. Following The US President’s speech in Japan, China’s Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing told reporters at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), "Taiwan is an inseparable part of China, and China does not brook any interference in its internal affairs”. Today’s move by President Chen will certainly complicate relations between China and the US as well as increase tensions with Taiwan, but as to whether the political posturing will lead to military conflict – only time will tell [reports - News/CNN]
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