‘ONE CHINA’ POLICY?The White House said that Taiwan is a close partner of the US and not a bargaining chip to gain leverage with Beijing as Trump has implied

Taipei Times
Date: Dec 14, 2016
By Lu Yi-hsuan and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday welcomed the White House’s statement that Taiwan is not

a bargaining chip in its dealings with China, while the Presidential Office reiterated the government’s policy of establishing friendly relationships with the international community, including the US.

Speaking at a routine news conference at the ministry yesterday morning, Department of North American Affairs Deputy Director-General Hsu You-tien (徐佑典) said the ministry was happy to see the White House affirm Taiwan as a “close partner” of the US.

“The ministry welcomes the US statement, which affirms the partnership between the US and Taiwan. Forming concrete relations with Washington has always been a primary goal of the ministry,” Hsu said.

Hsu also expressed appreciation for US President Barack Obama’s administration for underscoring the value and importance of the two countries’ partnership on different levels.

He was responding to remarks by White House press secretary Josh Earnest on Monday that “Taiwan is not a source of leverage, it’s a close partner of the United States,” while warning that disrupting the US’ long-standing “one China” policy could “have a disruptive effect on our ability to work with China where our interests align.”    [FULL  STORY]