U.S. Policy 2009
Obama’s Asian Tour
Documents
U.S.-China Joint
Statement 2009. 11. 17
China-Taiwan: Recent Economic,
Political and Military Developments Across the Strait and Implications for
the United States David B. Shear, Deputy
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Testimony
before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, Mar. 18, 2010
[News] [Papers]
~2004 ; 2005-2006; 2007-2008; Current
Poll: Isolationism Soars
among Americans
(AP, Dec. 3, 2009) While isolationism and unilateralism
in foreign affairs reached four-decade highs among the American public, the
stature of China increased. U.S. Seen as Less Important,
China as More Powerful
MAC Downplays Controversy
over US-China Statement
(Taipei Times, Nov. 19, 2009) MAC Chairwoman Lai
Shin-yuan tried to put to rest a controversy
sparked by a joint statement issued after talks between US President Barack
Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao.
Taiwan Welcomes Obama’s Mention
of Taiwan Relations Act
(DPA, Nov. 17, 2009) Taiwan welcomed US President
Obama’s mentioning the Taiwan Relations Act in his Beijing speech, seeing it
as Washington’s assurance it would heed Taipei’s defense needs.
Obama Wades into Internet
Censorship in China Address
(New York Times, Nov. 17, 2009) President Barack
Obama held a town hall meeting with university students in Shanghai,
but Mr. Obama’s question-and-answer session was not broadcast live on China’s
official state network.
Obama, Japanese Premier at
Odds over Air Station Negotiations
(Washington
Post, Nov. 17, 2009) The wrestling match between the United States and Japan
over the location of the U.S. Marine air station in Okinawa is far from
over—despite President Obama's chummy visit here with Japanese Prime Minister
Yukio Hatoyama.
Obama Begins Four-Nation
Asian Tour in Japan
(AFP, Nov. 14, 2009) US President Barack Obama
insisted that the US was a
“Pacific” power and vowed to deepen engagement in the region as he set foot
in Asia for the first time as president.
No Change to Arms Policy: US
Officials
(Taipei Times, Nov.
8, 2009) James Steinberg, speaking at the Center for American Progress, said
that US commitment to Taiwan
was very clear under the TRA and that the Obama administration would continue
to respect the act.
Obama Firm on Taiwan: Aide
(AFP, Nov.6, 2009) President Barack Obama, set
for a mission to China
this month to boost warming ties, will stay firm on the US policy of supporting but not recognizing
rival Taiwan,
an aide said.
Top U.S. Diplomat to Taiwan
Confident of Progress on Big Issues
(CNA, Oct. 17, 2009) William Stanton, the top United States envoy to Taiwan, expressed confidence in
resolving or making progress on several important issues affecting
Taiwan-U.S. relations.
Security Conference Speakers
Emphasize Strong Taiwan Ties
(Taipei Times, Sep. 18, 2009) US Admiral Timothy
Keating’s remarks that China could break off military-to-military exchanges
with the US if Washington sells advanced F-16 C/D fighter planes to Taiwan may have grabbed
the headlines, but other attendees at the conference stressed the importance
of maintaining strong ties with Taiwan in the face of Chinese threats.
Gates Endorses New U.S.
Bomber Project
(Reuters, Sep. 16, 2009) Defense Secretary Robert
Gates threw his support on behind an on-again, off-again plan to develop a
new long-range U.S.
bomber, citing the military modernization of China.
China, Russia Tarred with US
Intel Listing
(AFP, Sep. 16, 2009) The United States fingered
emerging superpower China and resurgent Russia as its main challengers in new
intelligence guidelines that highlighted the rising scourge of cyber-war.
New U.S. Envoy Vows to Boost
Bilateral Ties
(CNA, Aug. 29, 2009) The new U.S. representative to Taiwan pledged to continue the work of his
predecessors in further strengthening bilateral relations and supporting the
maintenance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
Taiwan Part of U.S. Visa-Free
Program for Island Nations
(CNA, Aug. 10, 2009) Taiwanese citizens have been
included in a new U.S.
visa-waiver program that will allow travelers visa-free entry to Guam and the
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
in the western Pacific.
Senate Confirms China, Japan
Ambassador Nominees
(AP, Aug. 7, 2009) The Senate confirmed Utah Gov.
Jon Huntsman as ambassador to China, giving the Republican the task of
nurturing a sometimes shaky relationship that President Barack Obama sees as
crucial to solving many of the world's most difficult crises.
US Reaffirms Its Rights to
Operate in South China Sea
(VOA, Jul. 16, 2009) China's
claims over disputed territory in the South China Sea, and its increasing
military capabilities, have raised questions and concerns in Washington.
US to Continue Security
Cooperation with Taiwan: Envoy
(AFP, Jun. 26, 2009) The US will continue
maintaining its security cooperation agreement with Taiwan despite Beijing's call for it to cancel a planned
arms sale to the island, its top envoy here said.
Ties Not Competing with
Cross-Strait Relations: Outgoing AIT Chief (China Post, Jul. 3, 2009) The outgoing American Institute in Taiwan director said that ties between Taiwan and the United States are "grounded
in the most enduring foundation" and are not in competition with its
cross-strait relationship.
US Names New Head of De
Facto Taiwan Embassy
(AP, Jul. 1, 2009) The American Institute in Taiwan said William Stanton, currently the No.
2 U.S. diplomat in South
Korea, will replace outgoing institute
head Stephen Young in August.
US Dedicates New Diplomatic
Office in Taiwan
(AP, Jun. 22, 2009) The United States dedicated
the grounds for a new representative office in Taiwan, making a visible
commitment to the island at a time its rapidly improving ties with longtime
foe China are diminishing U.S. influence.
TIFA to Strengthen U.S.-Taiwan
Relations: AIT
(China Post, Jun. 5, 2009) The American Institute
in Taiwan aims to
strengthen the relation between the United
States and Taiwan by further implementing a
trade agreement as they witnessed cross-strait ties progress over the past
year, Director Stephen M. Young said.
Ma Pitches for Taiwan-U.S.
Extradition Pact in L.A. Stop
(CNA, May 28, 2009) President Ma Ying-jeou reiterated Taiwan's
hopes of signing an extradition agreement with the United
States and securing visa-free treatment for Taiwan tourists, during a low-profile transit
stop in Los Angeles.
Friendship with Taiwan
Remains Strong, Paal Says
(Taipei Times, Apr. 24, 2009) A major Washington
conference on US-Taiwan relations has been told that friendship remains
strong, arms sales will continue, a military cross-strait confrontation is
increasingly unlikely and that unification with China is not on the cards for
the foreseeable future.
US Marines Considering
Taiwan Post
(Taipei Times,
Apr. 16, 2009) The US Marine Corps is considering a controversial plan to use
a detachment of Marine security guards to protect the new American Institute
in Taiwan headquarters
that will be built in Neihu District, Taipei City.
US Campaign to Get Taiwan
WHA Seat
(Taipei Times, Apr. 13, 2009) Sources in Washington say the US
administration is talking with Beijing about Taiwan's
bid for observer status and it has a good chance of succeeding.
US Senator Call on Obama to
Voice Support for TRA
(Taipei Times,
Mar. 29, 2009) Nearly a third of the Senate wrote a letter asking the
president to show the US'
support for continued freedom and prosperity in Taiwan.
U.S. House Reaffirms Taiwan Commitment
(AFP, Mar. 26, 2009) The House of Representatives
in a voice vote approved a resolution that pledged an “unwavering commitment”
to the Taiwan Relations Act and called it a “cornerstone” of U.S.
policy.
US Comfortable with Détente:
AIT
(Taipei Times, Mar. 19, 2009) The US government
feels comfortable with the direction of cross-strait relations and considers
any developments a matter for China
and Taiwan,
AIT Chairman Raymond Burghardt said in a meeting
with the press.
TRA Can’t Be Amended:
Ex-Cheney Assistant
(China Post, Mar. 17, 2009) Although the United
States' Taiwan Relations Act was signed 30 years ago under dramatically
different world circumstances, there is little chance of changing the act to
suit present day issues, said a U.S. former international affairs analyst.
Clinton May Visit PRC,
Discuss Taiwan
(Taipei Times, Feb. 2, 2009) US Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton is expected to visit Japan
and China on her first
foreign trip in her new position, with a senior congressional source saying Clinton would be certain to discuss Taiwan with
the Chinese leadership.
US Urged to Review Taipei Policy
(Taipei Times,
Jan. 31, 2009) The new administration of US President Barack Obama should
reassess its Taiwan policy
and map out how it would deal with Taiwan
if the latter chose to align itself with China,
a US
academic said.
Clinton Urges Broader China Approach
(AP, Jan. 28, 2009) The Obama administration is
promising stronger diplomatic engagement with China
but also warns that the United
States is ready to handle any Chinese
military threat.
US Will Back Taiwan’s Bid
for More Space: Clinton
(Taipei
Times, Jan. 24, 2009) The administration of US President Barack Obama will
continue to support Taiwan’s efforts to gain more international space,
including becoming an observer at the World Health Assembly, US Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton said in a recent statement.
Too Early to Tell How New US
Team Will Handle Ties
(Taipei Times, Jan. 23, 2009) It is too early to
tell how Washington will handle military cooperation with Taiwan under US
President Barack Obama, but bilateral relations are improving steadily, a
Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said.
US Bill Calls for Diplomatic
Ties
(Taipei Times, Jan. 11, 2009) While the
resolution is unlikely to be adopted, it would ensure that the issue of Taiwan
remains present in the minds of politicians.
Pentagon Wary of PRC-Taiwan Ties
(Taipei Times,
Jan. 7, 2008) Pentagon officials are worried that increasingly warm relations
across the Taiwan Strait could give China
new opportunities to spy on Taiwan’s
US-made weapons systems.
Think Tank Urges US to
Strengthen Taiwan Relations By William Lowther (Taipei Times, Dec.
23, 2009) A Washington think tank is advising US President Barack Obama to
foster closer diplomatic, defense and economic relations with Taiwan to
offset China’s “potentially coercive” embrace.
US Should Stop Fooling
around and Back Taiwan By Nat Bellocchi
(Taipei
Times, Dec. 22, 2009) By pretending to maintain stability and the status quo,
we have undermined the possibilities for change in the right direction: a
furtherance of democratic principles.
U.S.-India Relations: Missing George W. By
David J. Karl
(PacNet #77, Pacific
Forum, CSIS, Dec. 7, 2009) Nearly a year after the Obama administration took
office, it is hard to avoid the conclusion that U.S.-India relations are
drifting, lacking the focus, momentum and salience they had when George W.
Bush occupied the While House.
US Opinion Turns Against the
Globalism of Its President By Bruce Stokes (YaleGlobal, Dec. 10, 2009) All of
President Obama’s internationalist and multi-lateral policies may come to
naught if he cannot convince Americans that such a strategy is in their best
interest.
U.S. Doing Little to Lead;
Trade Policy Not Priority By Lydia Lin
(China Post, Dec. 2, 2009) The United States'
mounting debt, domestic health care troubles and focus on “paramount” global
issues have made trade policy a low priority in regards to Taiwan and other
Asian economies impacted by China's dollar peg.
Assessing the China Trip
(Editorial, New York Times, Nov. 21, 2009)
President Obama has faced a fair amount of criticism for his China
trip. The trip wasn’t all that we had hoped it would be, but some of the
complaints are premature.
Barack Obama Visit Signals
New Era of US-China Relations
By Peter Foster (Telegraph, Nov. 21, 2009) The "Joint Statement" is now
being hailed as the most significant step forward in US-China relations since
Richard Nixon reopened relations 30 years ago.
Three Key Lessons from
Obama’s China Tour By Tony Karon
(Time, Nov. 21, 2009) Three key lessons to draw
from the visit: China’s star has risen and America’s has ebbed, but the U.S.
is “too big to fail;” China doesn’t want to run the world but it has
interests differing from America’s; personal chemistry can’t change the
world.
Obama in Asia—Part III By
Shen Dingli
(YaleGlobal, Nov. 20,
2009) US President Obama’s
recent trip to China
reveals the ways in which US-China relations might be changing. The
tenor of the trip showed that China’s
status has risen as the US
appears to be accepting China’s
terms of the relationship.
In Obama Interview, Signs of
China’s Heavy Hand By Sharon LaFraniere and Jonathan Ansfield (New York Times,
Nov. 20, 2009) Chinese authorities appeared to carefully monitor how
President Obama’s words were transmitted to China’s public, even in a
newspaper known for its press-the-envelope approach.
Obama’s Story Infused Asia
Tour By Anne E. Komblut
(Washington
Post, Nov. 19, 2009) After more than a week of using his biography to connect
to audiences in Asia, Obama appeared as
popular as ever among ordinary citizens in the region. But is his
biography-as-diplomacy approach beginning to show its limits?
In Obama’s China Trip, a
Stark Contrast with the Past By Andrew Higgins and Anne E. Kornblut (Washington Post, Nov. 18, 2009)
Obama's trip stood in stark contrast to visits by his predecessors. But this
reflected not so much a policy shift by a new administration in Washington as a
dramatic and much bigger change in the power dynamic.
China Holds Firm on Major
Issues in Obama’s Visit By Helene Cooper (New York Times, Nov. 18, 2009) In six hours of meetings, at two
dinners and during a stilted 30-minute news conference, President Obama was
confronted, on his first visit, with a fast-rising China more willing to say
no to the United States.
Obama, Hu Vow to Continue to
Strengthen Partnership By Keith B. Richburg (Washington
Post, Nov. 17, 2009) President Obama and his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao, emerged from two
hours of talks pledging to continue efforts to strengthen the growing
partnership between the two countries, and to work together to address global
challenges.
Obama in Asia—Part I By
Francois Godement
(YaleGlobal, Nov. 16,
2009) The talk of a “strategic partnership” between China and the US
making a G2 has Europe scared. But, there
are too many differences between China
and the US
to warrant the type of political convergence necessary for a G2 to work.
China’s Role As U.S. Lender
Alters Dynamics for Obama By Helene Cooper, Michael
Wines and David E. Sanger
(New York Times, Nov. 15, 2009) When President Obama visits China
for the first time on Sunday, he will, in many ways, be assuming the role of
profligate spender coming to pay his respects to his banker.
Let’s Go: Asia, the
Presidential Edition By Carlos Lozada
(Washington
Post, Nov. 15, 2009) All the major think tanks have inundated e-mail inboxes
around town with briefing papers, Q&As and op-eds offering their advice. A look at them reveals three
challenges that the experts think Obama must tackle.
Obama Says U.S. Seeking Broader
Engagement with Asia By Julianna Glodman and Edwin Chen (Bloomberg, Nov.
14, 2009) President Barack Obama promised broader engagement with Asia,
staking a U.S. claim in shaping the future development of a region that is
leading the world out of recession. Obama’s Speech in Tokyo
‘Strategic Reassurance’ That
Isn’t By Robert Kagan and Dan Blumenthal (Washington Post, Nov. 10,
2009) Obama's trip this week seems designed to demonstrate American staying
power, and China isn’t likely to end or slow its efforts to militarily and
economically dominate the region. So it will quickly become obvious that no
one on either side feels reassured.
Obama Confronts an Asia
Reshaped by China’s Rise By Charles Hutzler
(AP, Nov. 9, 2009) This is not the kind of Asia or Asia-Pacific of America's
traditional understanding. That old understanding is that America is dominant but friendly to the
developing nations and Japan,
America's
perpetual ally, is No. 1. Asia is now totally different and China is the No. 1, not Japan.
Pitfalls and Possibilities
in Obama’s Taiwan Line By Nat Bellocchi
(Taipei Times, Nov. 9, 2009) Obama has the
advantage of being at the start of a new chapter in relations with both
Taiwan and China. He is relatively unburdened by the inhibitions of the past,
and has the freedom to do some out-of-the-box thinking.
U.S. Is Reaching Out to East
Asia’s Powerful Nations By John Pomfret (Washington
Post, Nov. 7, 2009) Paal and other analysts said
the most important issue is trade as Asian nations have dropped barriers
among themselves while the United
States has failed to act.
Obama Goes to Asia:
Understanding the President’s Trip
(Brookings, Nov. 6, 2009) Jeffrey Bader, special assistant
to the president and senior director for East Asian affairs on the National
Security Council, provided a keynote address outlining the White House’s
strategy for the trip to Asia.
Don’t Concede More on Taiwan By
Hisahiko Okazaki
(Taipei Times, Nov. 6, 2009) As for Obama’s trip,
it would be best not to go beyond the three joint communiques
that have long defined US-China relations. The Obama administration should
never accept a change from “not support” to “oppose.”
Trading Away the Asia-Pacific
(Wall Street Journal, Oct. 27, 2009) With China angling
for regional leadership, the U.S.
can't afford to be seen as an unreliable economic partner. Mr. Obama needs to
reassert U.S. leadership
in Asia, starting with trade.
Trading Up in the Taiwan
Strait By Richard Fontaine
(Wall Street Journal, Oct. 25, 2009) The U.S.
should embrace the lesson that has been clearly internalized by so many
powers across the Pacific Rim: Moving
forward with robust attempts to free trade leads to economic and strategic
strength, not weakness.
Hands off Policy Best for
US: Forum By Jenny W. Hsu
(Taipei Times,
Oct. 17, 2009) Warming links between Taiwan
and China are not a source
of worry for the US and
the best role for Washington in the current
atmosphere of cross-strait rapprochement is to let things take their course,
some US academics said at
a forum in Taipei.
The Meeting That Wasn’t By
Fred Hiatt
(Washington Post, Oct. 12, 2009) Throughout the
autocratic world, there are people fighting back. Most of us will never know
their names. But they watch what happens in the White House. When a dissident
is turned away, they take note. When a dissident is welcomed, they take
heart. To them, no gesture is empty.
U.S. NSC Reviewing Taiwan Issues By
Wendell Minnick
(DefenseNews, Sep. 21,
2009) The U.S. National Security Council is conducting a review of U.S. defense programs for Taiwan amid great recent changes in
China-Taiwan relations, said sources in Taipei
and Washington.
Obama and East Asia: No Room for Complacency By
Gerald Curtis
(PacNet #58, Pacific
Forum, CSIS, Aug. 20, 2009) This is the executive summary of a longer report
on Obama administration policy toward East Asia. For the full report,
click here.
New AIT Chief Welcome
(Editorial, China Post, Jul. 4, 2009) Stanton, who will
take over as America's de
facto ambassador in Taipei,
possesses valuable experience in this region, and his appointment is
welcomed.
Obama’s China Policy Takes
Shape By Jing-dong Yuan
(Asia Times, Jun. 9, 2009) Changes are taking
place. These are both in substance and in style. Gone are the days when US officials would lecture their Chinese
counterparts on issues ranging from currency exchange rates to financial
reforms in China.
Australia Bulks Up By
Andrew Shearer
(Wall Street Journal Asia, May 6,2009) Asia has
long looked to the United
States to underwrite two critical public goods:
free trade and security. Now there is anxiety in the region about its
continuing willingness and ability to so, and governments are looking for
ways to adapt.
An Obama TPR: Too Little,
Too Late? By John Tkacik
(Taipei Times,
Apr. 29, 2009) While reports of an imminent Taiwan Policy Review (TPR) are
premature, it would be a useful exercise as part of a global strategic review
of China’s
emerging pre-eminence.
Kurt Campbell Nominated for
Vice Secretary of State By William Lowther (Taipei
Times, Apr. 25, 2009) Kurt Campbell, an Asia scholar with a strong record on Taiwan, has been nominated US assistant secretary of state
for East Asian and Pacific affairs.
US May Launch Taiwan Policy
Review By William Lowther
(Taipei
Times, Apr. 24, 2009) Washington may soon launch a new Taiwan Policy Review
that could have an enormous impact on bilateral relations.
Thoughts on the Taiwan
Relations Act By Richard C. Bush III
(Brookings, Apr. 22, 2009) In making their
political commitment to Taiwan’s security thirty years ago, the authors of
the TRA could not have imagined today’s circumstances. Yet the genius of
their achievement was to create a legislative framework in which the essence
of their political commitment could be applied to a new context.
Obama’s Foreign Policy
Challenge By Henry A. Kissinger
(Washington
Post, Apr. 22, 2009) The strategic dialogue with China will help shape the Korean
negotiations. The negotiations will also be affected by perceptions of
regional balances -- of the key participants, for China
and the United States, this applies to the political structure of Northeast
Asia and the Pacific Rim.
Cross-Strait Moderation and
the United States—Policy Adjustments Needed By
Robert Sutter (PacNet
#17, Mar. 5, 2009) U.S.
policy supports President Ma Ying-jeou’s efforts to
ease tensions in the Taiwan Strait through
moderation and accommodation. But the resulting change in cross-Strait
power dynamics may also necessitate some reconsideration of U.S. policy viz-a-viz
China and Taiwan.
US Strength Crucial to Asia
Peace By James Holmes
(Taipei Times, Mar. 5, 2009) Should allies and
friends in the region conclude the US has become an untrustworthy
partner, they will fend for themselves. That’s the logic of self-help, of
threat and response.
Secretary Clinton’s Asia
Trip: Getting China Right By Stephen Yates and Walter Lohman (WebMemo #2301, Heritage Foundation,
Feb. 18, 2009) In the end, the most important advice for getting China
right is the simplest: speak plainly while seeking results.
Clinton’s Overseas Trip
Asserts Asia as Priority By Jay Soloman and Ian Johnson (Wall Street Journal, Feb. 13, 2009) As secretary of state,
Hillary Clinton is moving to establish China
as a priority, making her first trip abroad to China and three other Asian
nations
Is Protectionism
Unavoidable? By Jeffery E. Garten
(YaleGlobal, Feb. 6,
2009) The US failing to pass a $900 billion stimulus package could be more problematic
than approving a package with some “buy American” provisions. Likewise,
encouraging China
to relax its currency rates is not worth the risk of social unrest.
Clinton Packs Full Asia
Agenda for First Trip as Secretary of State By Glenn Kessler (Washington Post, Feb. 6, 2009) Secretary of State Hillary Rodham
Clinton will travel to Asia on her first voyage as chief diplomat, in order
to place a renewed focus on an area with half the world's population and
gross domestic product.
China Policy Change? By
Dan Blumenthal
(Washington
Times, Feb. 3, 2009) As our first president who came of age after the Cold
War, Mr. Obama has an opportunity to dispose of the Cold War baggage that
still guides our China
policy.
Relations with China Could
Test Obama By Ian Johnson
(Wall Street Journal, Jan. 22, 2009) As the Obama
administration wrestles with trouble spots around the world, it is likely to
see China as an oasis of calm. That could be deceptive.
What Hu Jintao Should
Expect: Predictions about Obama Administration Policy toward Taiwan By
Bonnie S. Glaser (PacNet
#1, Pacific Forum, CSIS, Jan. 5, 2009) Taiwan remains one of the most
sensitive and divisive issues between the United States and China. What
should Chinese President Hu Jintao
expect from President Obama on this critically important issue?
Obama Moves to Counter China
in Space with Pentagon-NASA Link (Bloomberg, Jan. 2, 2009) President-elect Barack
Obama will probably tear down long-standing barriers between the U.S.’s civilian and military space programs to
speed up a mission to the moon amid the prospect of a new space race with China.
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