State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey said at a press briefing that, to his knowledge, the State Department has not received a formal request from Chen to stop over in the U.S. When Chen's request is received, the State Department will make arrangements according to consistent standards, Casey said, adding that "there is a longstanding U.S. policy on that."

Washington has repeatedly handled requests by Taiwan's leaders to stop over in the U.S. on the basis of the Taiwan Relations Act, Casey said.

When asked if Taiwan's plan to push for a referendum on whether Taiwan should seek United Nations membership under the name of "Taiwan" despite U.S. opposition could affect Washington's treatment of Chen's transit plan, Casey said it would be too hypothetical at the moment to say how the U.S. government might react under certain circumstances. Casey added that the State Department would keep an eye on relevant circumstances with each individual request for a stopover.

Casey said the U.S. has repeatedly stated its opposition to any initiative that appears designed to change Taiwan's status unilaterally, including a referendum on whether to apply to join the U.N. under the name of Taiwan, adding that such a plan would appear to run counter to Chen's repeated commitments to Washington.

Regarding Chen's plan to stop over in the U.S., a report in local Chinese-language newspaper United Daily said that Chen's charter plane would be allowed to stay in the U.S. for only two to three hours to refuel and would not be allowed to stay overnight.

However, officials at the Presidential Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied the report, saying Chen's trip was still being arranged. MOFA Spokesman David Wang (王建業) said President Chen was scheduled to depart for a visit to Central America on August 20, but that the ministry was still negotiating with the U.S. over details of the transit stops, such as which cities the president could stop over in.