Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/04/26
By: Timothy Huang and Elaine Hou
New York, April 25 (CNA) A U.S. scholar said in a magazine article Monday that the next U.S. 
government, in its dealings with China, should not ignore the Taiwan issue as it is “not a small matter.”
After falling off the American radar screen over the eight years that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and his Kuomintang (KMT) administration have been in power, “Taiwan is quickly edging its way back on,” said Elizabeth Economy, director for Asia studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, a New York-based think tank.
The next U.S. administration needs to keep its eye on the final objective, which is that cross-Taiwan Strait “differences be resolved peacefully and according to the wishes of the people on both sides of the strait,” she wrote in the April 25 edition of Forbes magazine.
“This means we don’t help stir the pot on Taiwan and we don’t sell-out Taiwan for some ephemeral grand bargain with Beijing,” she said. “Taiwan may be small but it is not a small matter.”
At stake is not only Washington’s relationship with Beijing but also American values and principles, “which are exemplified by Taiwan’s vibrant and determined democracy,” said Economy, who is an expert on U.S.-China relations. [FULL STORY]
