Taipei, July 10 (CNA) Washington's arms sales to Taiwan shows that the United States' foreign policy still upholds idealism over pragmatism, the top U.S. diplomat in Taiwan said in a speech Saturday.
"From the Machiavellian point of view, it's easy to say we're not selling arms anymore to Taiwan, " said William Stanton, director of American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), the U.S. representative office in Taiwan in the absence of official diplomatic ties.
But he said arms sales to Taiwan went beyond such geopolitical calculations and reflected the U.S.' continued efforts to strike a balance between idealism and pragmatism.
"In some people's point of view it's an issue of law (Taiwan Relations Act)... but it's also a commitment, as some would say it's 23 million people (who live) in a democracy" that the U.S. couldn't walk away from.
Stanton spoke of the commitment during a question and answer session after delivering a speech titled "The Paradox of the America" to around 300 local students at "Taipei Salon, " in an event organized by the Lung Ying-tai Cultural Foundation.
In the speech, Stanton highlighted several paradoxes and characteristics the U.S. has faced in its history and social development, such as diversity and individualism vs. collectivism and the "American Dream."
Stanton said he believes that the idea of the "American Dream, " which means one can achieve great things if he or she works hard, still prevails and holds Americans of different religions, races and cultures together in a time of chaos.
He also recognizes immigrants' contribution to the U.S. and their home countries after their return, pointing out that many Taiwanese, including Morris Chang, the founder of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Lin Hwai-min, founder of the renowned Cloud Gate Dance Theatre, Oscar-winning director Ang Lee and Nobel Laureate Lee Yuan-tseh, made Taiwan proud after finding success in the U.S.
Having previously served in Pakistan, Lebanon, South Korea and Australia, the seasoned diplomat said that if there's one thing he has learned during his public service career, it would be that people tend to stress differences too much rather than looking at the "commonality we can share." (By Chris Wang) enditem/ls