Taiwan Today

Raymond F. Burghardt, chairman of the American Institute in Taiwan, arrived in Taipei Nov. 22 to brief government and opposition leaders on U.S. President Barack Obama’s recent visit to mainland China. Burghardt is scheduled to begin meetings Nov. 23 with Legislative Yuan President Wang Jin-pyng, Premier Wu Den-yih, Mainland Affairs Council Minister Lai Shin-yuan and Democratic Progressive Party Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen. He will meet President Ma Ying-jeou Nov. 24. U.S. arms sales to Taiwan and cross-strait political dialogue will also be discussed. Burghardt’s Taiwan trip comes only five days after Obama met with mainland leader Hu Jintao, the fastest-ever dispatch of a U.S. official to Taiwan following a Washington-Beijing summit, according to a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official. Though the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 was not mentioned in the recent U.S.-mainland China joint statement, it does not necessarily mean Washington will adjust its policy toward Taiwan, the unnamed MOFA official said. “The U.S. still felt it should clarify the situation as soon as possible in order to clear up Taiwan’s concerns,” explained the official. During his stay in Taiwan, Burghardt will reveal the major content of talks between Obama and Hu to Taiwan’s ranking officials, the foreign official noted. Burghardt is likely to reiterate American commitment to Taiwan based on the TRA. In terms of the U.S. executive branch’s position on arms sales to Taiwan, it is expected that Burghardt will explain the latest developments to high-ranking security officials in the wake of repeated U.S. Congressional support for such sales. Scholars at some Washington-based think tanks believe Burghardt will also make Washington’s position on improved cross-strait ties clear since Obama encouraged both sides of the Taiwan Strait to engage in dialogue on political and economic cooperation when he met with Hu. The recent controversy surrounding Taiwan’s relaxation of U.S. bone-in beef imports is not expected to be on Burghardt’s agenda because both Taipei and Washington have agreed to abide by the beef protocol. (LC-THN)