Sunday, September 09, 2007

Opposition to referendum does not mean U.S. anti-democratic: official

Taipei, Sept. 8 (CNA) The United States' opposition to Democratic Progressive Party's drive to hold a referendum on Taiwan's U.N. bid does not mean that the United States is anti-democratic, a former U.S. national security official said Saturday.

James Steinberg, who served as the Deputy National Security Advisor to former U.S. President Bill Clinton from 1996-2000, noted that the U.S. government has been supporting the development of Taiwan's democracy, adding that its opposition to the U.N. bid referendum should not be interpreted as an anti-democratic move.

He also described the Taiwan people's perception that the Democratic Party is leaning toward China as "baffling, " when answering a question from the audience after delivering a speech, titled "The National Security of Taiwan, Japan and the United States -- How Best to Achieve It, " at the World Taiwanese Congress held in Taipei.

The Democratic Party has been always critical of China's human rights record and currency policy, Steinberg said. He noted that Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, has long been a Taiwan supporter and that it was then President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, who sent an aircraft carrier group to patrol the Taiwan Strait in 1996 during the Taiwan Strait Crisis, he pointed out.

"It's difficult to understand where that perception came from, " he said, adding that "whether Taiwan-U.S. relations have been going well during the last seven years, I'll leave that for your own judgment."

Asked about the possible U.S. reaction if China attacks Taiwan, Steinberg said the United States has historically "had a pretty good record when things really matter."

Regarding Taiwan's participation in international organizations, Steinberg said he understands how Taiwan must feel being excluded, adding that "there is no reason to go through those contortions of names" and that "substance -- namely participation -- is far more important."

Steinberg is currently the director of the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs. He served in various positions in the Clinton administration from 1993-2000 before working for the Brookings Institution from 2001-2005.