The China Post
Date: October 25, 2017
By: Joseph Yeh
TAIPEI (CNA) – The United States will not sacrifice Taiwan’s interests in exchange for
Daniel Russel, a former U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, reacts during a speech at National Chengchi University on Oct. 24, 2017. He said that China has undergone major changes over the past five years under the leadership of Chinese President Xi Jinping, underscored by the country’s growing economic strength and more active role in regional and global affairs. (CNA)
improved ties with China, a visiting former senior U.S. official said Tuesday in Taipei.
Daniel Russel, a former U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs made the comments amid the ongoing 19th Chinese Communist Party Congress in Beijing and an upcoming first ever trip to China by U.S. President Donald Trump. The remarks were also directed at continued speculation that Beijing’s increased importance to U.S. foreign policy could pose a problem for Taipei.
Russel said that China has undergone major changes over the past five years under the leadership of Chinese President Xi Jinping, underscored by the country’s growing economic strength and more active role in regional and global affairs.
Against this backdrop it is not surprising that China has become more important to U.S. foreign policy, he added.
“But should that be a problem for Taiwan? The common interests, the shared values, the institutional linkages, and the strong people-to-people ties and all the things I just described are like anchors, bonds that help ensure that improvements in U.S-China relations will never come at Taiwan’s expense,” he stressed.
Although the occupants of the White House and the Presidential Office have changed in recent years, what has not changed is the deep-rooted friendship between American and Taiwanese people, he said. [FULL STORY]
