Taipei, April 22 (CNA) The just-concluded meeting between U.S. President George W. Bush and Chinese President Hu Jintao showed that there are many contradictions between the two powers and that the time is right for Taiwan to furthur boost relations with the U.S., scholars said at a forum Saturday.
U.S.-China relations are not expected to change dramatically in the near future, scholars agreed at the forum which was organized by Taiwan Thinktank to discuss Taiwan-U.S.-China relations after the Bush-Hu huddle.
"I really don't think the U.S. and China will be 'strategic partners' because the two sides don't share common values, although they do have common interests," said Raymond Wu, deputy chief executive officer of the Cross-Strait Interflow Prospect Foundation.
If Taiwan can combine its interests with those of the U.S., the two sides' relations would greatly improve, as Taiwan and the U.S. both share common values of democracy, human rights and freedom of speech.
By working with the U.S. to advance "transformational diplomacy" -- a strategy advocated by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice aiming to "work with our many partners around the world to build and sustain democratic, well-governed states that will respond to the needs of their people" -- Taiwan will integrate its interest with that of the U.S., Soochow University professor Lo Chih-cheng said.
"Helping China move toward a democratic and human rights-respecting country serves U.S. and Taiwan's interests at the same time," Lo said.
Two major points of contention between China and the U.S. are coming up shortly, said Lin Wen-cheng, a professor at National Sun Yat-sen University.
The Iran issue will be discussed in the Security Council of the United Nations next week and the U.S. is seeking China's support. The annual report of the U.S. Treasury Department, which is expected to bring up China's currency control issue, will also be released soon.