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Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2003

Administration officials denied they were talking about any change in the long-standing U.S. "one China" policy but rather were attempting to speak more clearly about it.

At the same time, the administration told Beijing the criticism of Taiwan should not be seen as a green light to consider using force against the island.

China's premier, Wen Jiabao, was having dinner Monday with Secretary of State Colin Powell and was meeting Tuesday at the White House with Bush.

A senior administration official who briefed reporters at the White House on the condition of anonymity said that Taiwan "seems to be pushing the envelope pretty vigorously" on issues related to its future status.

That makes the administration uncomfortable, the official said.

The official specifically criticized a scheduled March 20 referendum on Taiwan asking voters to demand that China stop threatening the island and remove hundreds of missiles aimed at the island. The referendum was proposed by Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian.

Since nearly every citizen on Taiwan would like to see China remove the missiles, it was not clear what purpose the referendum would serve other than to underscore the obvious, and it could prompt China to dig in its heels further, the official said.

"We're not quite sure how it improves Taiwan's security. I think if anything it probably diminishes it," the official said.

This official said Taiwan's leaders have been told clearly and authoritatively that the United States opposes any change in the status quo.

U.S. policy for years has been deliberately ambiguous on Taiwan. "What we're seeing here is dropping the ambiguity for both sides," the official said.

The administration wants there to be no doubt on Taiwan's part that the United States opposes any move toward independence. At the same time, China must understand that the administration is not giving a go-ahead to use force against Taiwan, the official said.

The United States remains concerned about China's military buildup on the mainland side of the Taiwan strait.

Studying Remarks

In Taipei, James Huang, a spokesman in Taiwan's presidential office, told The Associated Press that officials were studying the remarks from Washington and would not immediately comment on them.

Wen, meanwhile, during a visit to U.N. headquarters in New York, warned Monday that Beijing will "never tolerate" an independent Taiwan and accused the island's leaders of planning the referendum as a cover to break away from China.

Standing beside U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Wen said anew that peaceful reunification is the best way to settle the question.

China and the self-ruled island split amid civil war in 1949, but the communist mainland claims Taiwan as Chinese territory.

The United States, under the Taiwan Relations Act, has pledged to defend Taiwan if it is attacked by the mainland. The U.S. agrees that there is but one China but wants the dispute to be resolved peacefully by China and Taiwan.

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., a member of the House International Relations Committee and a staunch supporter of Taiwan, said he was not concerned about a shift in U.S. policy.

"We are just telling the Taiwanese not to rock the boat," he said. "The people of Taiwan should understand that the United States is committed militarily in another part of the world, and doesn't need another major commitment."

The senior administration official also said that Bush, when he meets with Wen on Tuesday, will again press for China to float its currency on foreign exchange markets, letting the value rise and fall with market forces.

The administration said it recognizes that China cannot free its currency, now pegged to the U.S. dollar, at once, because it would result in economic instability.

U.S. manufacturers say the artificial link between China's currency and the dollar is keeping imports from China inexpensive in the United States while making U.S. products too expensive there.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan said that North Korea's nuclear program also would be among the topics Bush would bring up with Wen.

"We are working very closely and appreciate China's efforts in regard to the six-party talks, and we'll continue to work with them on a new round of talks," McClellan said.

At the State Department, spokesman Richard Boucher said the Chinese "are quite clear on our position" on Taiwan. "They understand what we've said before. And we'll be happy to make very clear once again our one-China policy."

© 2003 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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