Defense Minister’s Visit to the US

March 10-12, 2002

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US' Wolfowitz Says Reform Trumps Weapons
(AP, April 11, 2002) The US can help Taiwan as much by improving its military as it can by selling it new weapons, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz told defense officials at a closed-door conference.

Beijing to Cancel Naval Exchanges with U.S. After Tang's Visit
(AFP, March 19, 2002) China was Monday preparing to cancel naval exchanges with the United States in retaliation for Washington allowing Taiwan's defense minister to meet U.S. officials in Florida.

China Protests U.S. Backing for Taiwan
(Cnn.com, March 17, 2002) That the strongly worded diplomatic protest was made on a weekend and was widely reported by the Chinese media may have been meant to amplify Beijing's anger. State-run CCTV, Xinhua and most Chinese papers reported the story prominently Sunday.

China Accuses U.S. of "Nuclear Blackmail"
(Reuters, March 17, 2002) Vice Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing called in U.S. Ambassador Clark T. Randt Jr to deliver "solemn representations" on a Pentagon nuclear policy review and a visit to the United States by Taiwan Defence Minister.

US Says It Won't Force Cross-Strait Talks
(Taipei Times, March 16, 2002) Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia James Kelly told reporters that was the message he was trying to get across when he reaffirmed Washington's commitment to the so-called "six assurances."

Beijing Envoy Meets U.S. Official, Complains About Summit
(China Post, March 15, 2002) Mainland China's Ambassador to the United States Yang Jiechi paid a visit to the State Department to underscore Beijing's anger over the U.S.-Taiwan Defense Summit.

US Official Reaffirms Reagan's 'Six Assurances' to Taiwan
(CNA, March 14, 2002) A senior United States Department of State official has reaffirmed in a speech at the US-Taiwan Defense Summit 2002 the Bush administration's commitment to abiding by its "six assurances" to Taiwan.

Taiwan Will Not Provoke China, Says Tang
(AFP, March 13, 2002) In his 100-minute closed-door meeting with Wolfowitz in Florida, Tang said the Taipei government will do its utmost to stabilize ties with China. Tang said he had guaranteed to Wolfowitz "our troops will by no means take any provocative step, nor will we trigger the first strike."

US Says Aid for Taiwan Helps Region
(AFP, March 13, 2002) US Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz said that the US assistance provided to help improve Taiwan's defense capability allows the nation to handle exchanges with China on a balanced basis.

China's Army to Prepare for 'Military Struggle'
(CNN.com, March 13, 2002) Chinese President Jiang Zemin has asked the armed forces to make "solid preparation for military struggle" in order to attain national reunification. Jiang said: "to solve the issue of Taiwan and realize complete reunification of the motherland is one of the three major tasks for the Party and the nation in the new century."

U.S., Taiwan Hold Landmark Defense Talk
(Reuters, March 12, 2002) Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz has met Taiwan's defense minister, Tang Yiau-ming, in Florida in the highest-level documented U.S.-Taiwan defense dialogue in at least 22 years.

Taiwan Defense Minister Pays Landmark Visit to US
(Reuters, March 11, 2002) Taiwan's defense minister, Tang Yiau-ming, has arrived in Florida to attend a landmark conference on arms sales, becoming the first Taiwanese defense minister to make other than a transit stop in the United States for at least 22 years.

US Calls Tang's Visit ‘Consistent’ with US Policy
(Taipei Times, March 11, 2002) The US has rebuffed Chinese objections to the visit of Minister of National Defense Tang Yao-ming to a defense summit in Florida this week, saying the visit is consistent with US policy.

China Demands Washington Block Taiwan Defense Minister's U.S. Visit
(AP, March 8, 2002) "We demand that the United States ... correct their wrong decisions and stop these official and military exchanges," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan.

U.S. Grants Taiwan Defense Minister Visa
(Reuters, March 7, 2002) The State Department said it had for the first time in decades granted a visa for a Taiwanese defense minister to attend a defense conference in the United States. His visit will be the first by a Taiwan defense minister for purposes other than transit since at least 1979 .

Minister Tang Invited to Attend Bilateral Defense Meeting in U.S.
(AFP, Feb. 24, 2002) Taiwan's Minister of National Defense Tang Yiau-ming has been invited to attend a conference scheduled for March 10-12 in St. Petersburg, Florida amid growing military exchanges between the allies

U.S., Taiwan Catch Jiang Off-Guard By Willy Wo-Lap Lam
(CNN.com, March 19, 2002) The sudden leap forward in ties between the U.S. and Taiwan has caught the administration of President Jiang Zemin off-guard. Worse, Jiang and colleagues lack effective weapons to beat back this bold challenge to Beijing's reunification policy.

US-Taiwan Defence Framework Shaping Up By Ching Cheong
(Strait Times, March 18, 2002) Taiwanese Defence Minister Tang Yao-ming's recent meeting with United States officials marked an abrogation of Washington's commitments to Beijing and an attempt by the US to reintegrate Taiwan into its regional defence framework against China.

It Takes Arms to Keep the Peace
(Editorial, Taipei Times, March 15, 2002) The normalization of military exchanges between Taiwan and the US is the best way to manifest Washington's hopes of supporting peace across the Taiwan Strait.

China Stays Calm as U.S.-Taiwan Relations Warm Up By William Forman
(Associated Press, March 14, 2002) But the big red dragon won't stay quiet forever, analysts say. "The Bush administration may be trying to test Beijing's reaction to a gradual and diluted elevation of official ties between Washington and Taipei."

Summit Clarifies U.S.-Taiwan Dynamic By Chris Cockel
(China Post, March 13, 2002) Although strictly off-limits to the press, the 2002 U.S.-Taiwan Defense Summit has clarified the U.S. position toward Taiwan. According to Arthur Waldron, the summit emphatically demonstrated the Bush administration's position vis-a-vis the trilateral Taipei-Washington-Beijing relationship.

Beijing Boosts Military Prowess By Willy Wo-Lap Lam
(CNN.com, March 12, 2002) A newly set-up military research unit says much about Beijing's determination to pursue defense modernization -- and the armed forces' growing clout. President Jiang Zemin had earlier this year approved the establishment of an inter-departmental organ to coordinate military research and development.

Behind US-Taiwan Military Meeting
(People’s Daily, March 8, 2002) From March 10 to 12, the "US-Taiwan commerce association will hold an unprecedented, large-scale "US-Taiwan defense meeting" in Florida, USA. This brings to light the United States' political plot to bolster "Taiwan independence" and beef up military collusion between the United States and Taiwan.