Bush pledges to act if China invades Taiwan

Bush said the US was committed to defending Taiwan through the Taiwan Relations Act. But he also said that US policy depended on Taiwan not seeking independence from mainlaind China.

"My attitude is that time will heal this issue, " he told Fox News. He said the US was keen to ensure that neither side "provokes the other through unilateral action."

"If China were to invade unilaterally, we would rise up in the spirit of [the] Taiwan Relations Act. If Taiwan were to declare independence, it would be a unilateral decision that would then change the US equation," the President said.

According to the Taipei Times, the Taiwanese Presidential Office insisted that the issue of the status of Taiwan "must be resolved via peaceful means".

Taiwanese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Michel Lu, said the government welcomed President Bush's reiteration of the US government's stance: "He means that to achieve peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, all Pacific-rim nations must make an effort," said Lu.

Lu said Taiwan had no plans to seek independence from mainland China. "Our constitutional reforms are a domestic issue which will not lead to Taiwan declaring independence," he said. "President Chen Shui-bian has promised this many times." µ

L'INQ
Taipei Times