Taipei, March 28 (CNA) Former United States (U.S.) Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage said Monday that the ongoing beef dispute will not affect Taiwan's chances of negotiating a visa-waiver program with the U.S.
Armitage, who served under George W. Bush's administration from 2001-2005, is leading a group of former U.S. foreign policy and security officials in a weeklong visit, during which the delegation will meet with President Ma Ying-jeou and other high-ranking officials.
Speaking to reporters in the afternoon after meeting Tsai Ing-wen, chairwoman of the main opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) , the senior politician answered questions on the beef dispute, U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, and the presidential election in 2012, for which Tsai was seeking DPP nomination.
Armitage said he believes the beef dispute is "separate" and will not affect Taiwan's chances of joining the U.S. visa-waiver program, given that the current visa refusal rate for Taiwan is less than 3 percent.
He was briefed by the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), the de facto U.S. embassy in Taiwan, on major Taiwan-U.S. issues before meeting National Security Council Secretary-General Hu Wei-jen and Tsai.
On the arms sales issue, Armitage told reporters that he did not know what the ultimate plans of the Barack Obama administration are, but he believes the U.S. has been serious about the issue and wants to continue providing arms for the defensive needs of Taiwan as required by the Taiwan Relations Act.
Looking forward to Taiwan's presidential election, Armitage said the U.S. always believes that "whatever happens when national elections are held is going to benefit the people of Taiwan. We feel quite comfortable that the US-Taiwan relationship will remain strong."
Armitage is scheduled to meet President Ma, Mainland Affairs Council Chairwoman Lai Shin-yuan and Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng Tuesday. He will leave Taiwan Wednesday.
The visiting delegation, most of whom served in former Republican administrations, will carry on without Armitage until April 2. The delegation will be led by former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Randy Schriver, who is now president and chief executive officer of the Project 2049 Institute, a right-wing think tank focused on Asia-Pacific affairs.
Executive director of the Project 2049 Institute Mark Stokes, former Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Christina Rocca, and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs John Gastright are also on the delegation. (By Chris Wang) enditem/ly