Taipei, Jan. 25 (CNA) The United States did everything it could to protect Taiwan's interests in its joint statement with China issued last week during Chinese President Hu Jintao's official visit to Washington, a U.S. envoy said Tuesday.
The U.S. "purposefully constructed a document that in no way violates any of Taiwan's interests... We kept Taiwan in mind during the process of negotiating the document, " American Institute in Taiwan Chairman Raymond Burghardt told reporters after briefing President Ma Ying-jeou on Hu's visit.
In the U.S.-China Joint Statement released by U.S. President Barack Obama and Hu Jan. 20, the U.S. states that it "follows its one China policy and abides by the principles of the three U.S.-China Joint Communiques." Obama also mentioned the Taiwan Relations Act in his talks with Hu.
Burghardt, whose Jan. 23-26 visit is his 10th to Taiwan, said the U.S. blocked China's attempt to secure a communique with the U.S., as well its intention to "have repeated references to the phrase `core interests'" in the joint statement, because the phrase has caused difficulties and misunderstandings for the U.S. in the past.
"The result is a document that in no way breaks any new ground on any issues that would be a concern for Taiwan, " said Burghardt.
He also clarified a paragraph in the statement that says the U.S. would like to see Taiwan and China "increase dialogue and interaction in `economic, political and other fields, '" saying that the U.S. neither plays any role as a mediator nor has any interest in acting as a mediator.
The pace, timing and subject of the negotiations are up to the two sides to decide, he said, adding that "political" talks do not necessarily refer to sovereignty issues. According to the U.S. definition, he said, discussion of Taiwan's international participation is a political issue.
He reassured Taiwan of the friendship of the U.S., describing the country as "the best friend Taiwan has" and an ally that takes the issue of Taiwan's international participation seriously. He also said Washington has offered a lot more assistance than people might imagine.
On U.S. arm sales to Taiwan, Burghardt underlined the extensive bilateral military-to-military exchanges between the two sides and urged Taiwan to "pay more attention to the little things" rather than focusing solely on new arms packages.
In response to a reporter's question about U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates' recent comment in Beijing that the U.S. could re-examine its arm sales to Taiwan if the security situation changes in the future, Burghardt said it is unlikely to be a scenario that will happen for many decades.
China now has an offensive posture that is not only limited to the missiles aimed at Taiwan but also includes other weapons, cyber warfare and its Anti-Secession Law, while Taiwan has a defensive posture, Burghardt said.
If Taiwan's needs in the future change along with its posture, the U.S. will make necessary adjustments to its stance on Taiwan's new requests because U.S. military aid to Taiwan is always based on Taiwan's perception of what it needs, he said. (By Chris Wang) ENDITEM/J