TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — President Lai Ching-te’s (賴清德) office has denied “silencing” references to the United States’ “one China” policy made by new American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Raymond Greene during the pair's first meeting.
Lai met Greene at the presidential office on Wednesday (July 10), where both delivered speeches emphasizing mutual commitments and close ties between Taiwan and the U.S. However, in a press release issued by the presidential office after the event, Greene’s reference to the “long-standing U.S. one China policy” was removed.
Presidential Office Spokesperson Karen Kuo issued a statement on Friday addressing the discrepancy after UDN published a report highlighting it. Kuo said there was no “intention to silence, or possibility of silencing" Greene’s comments.
Kuo said it is standard practice that diplomatic guests’ comments are not published verbatim and that members of the media were present when the remarks were made. Greene’s full speech was live-streamed by various outlets, and no content was omitted, she said.
A transcription of Greene’s remarks was published by AIT after the speech. “The United States will continue to support Taiwan in accordance with the long-standing U.S. one China policy, which is guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the three Joint Communiques, and the Six Assurances,” it reads.
A paraphrased version published by the presidential office reads: “The U.S. will continue to support Taiwan, (Greene) said, in accordance with the longstanding U.S. policy, which is guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the three Joint Communiques, and Six Assurances.”
Responding to queries about the presidential office's comments, a spokesperson for AIT told Taiwan News that Director Greene had nothing to add beyond the comments he made during his Wednesday meeting with Lai.
In addition to denying the “one China” reference was intentionally removed, the presidential office also took aim at UDN. “…Certain media have repeatedly used malicious insinuations and false news reports in the past, such as (reports stating that) ‘the U.S. requires Taiwan to develop biological weapons’ which judicial authorities confirmed as false a year ago,” Kuo said.
“Now they are repeating the use of false information, which is highly regrettable. The government has once again asked the United Daily News (UDN) to remove the untrue report that undermines Taiwan-U.S. relations.”
The U.S. one China policy “acknowledges” that there is only one China and the Chinese position that Taiwan is a part of China. In 1979, the U.S. passed the Taiwan Relations Act, which, in addition to legally requiring the U.S. to provide arms to Taiwan, stated an expectation that “the future of Taiwan will be determined by peaceful means.”
The “Six Assurances” were declared in 1982 and formally adopted by the U.S. government in 2016. They clarified the U.S. position on Taiwan, including assurances that the U.S. has not agreed to end arms sales to Taiwan nor amend the Taiwan Relations Act.
