In a rare move, the US released declassified cables about its Taiwan policy Monday on the website of the American Institute in Taiwan. The American Institute in Taiwan represents US interests in Taiwan in the absence of formal diplomatic ties.
Voice of America reports that a senior State Department official says the move is part of significant adjustments being made within the boundaries of Washington’s longstanding one-China policy. The report says that the US is clarifying that its one-China policy is different from China’s sovereignty claim over Taiwan.
In remarks to the Heritage Foundation on Monday, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs David Stilwell said, “The U.S. has long had a one-China policy. This is distinct from Beijing’s ‘One China Principle’, under which the Chinese Communist Party asserts sovereignty over Taiwan. The U.S. takes no position on sovereignty over Taiwan.”
About the declassification of two cables from 1982 on arms sales to Taiwan and Washington’s “Six Assurances” to Taiwan, Stilwell said, “It is important to review history like this because Beijing has a habit of distorting it.”
The Voice of America report describes how recent US moves are being seen as supporting Taiwan. Director of the China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, Bonnie Glaser said, “They rarely mentioned the Six Assurances publicly, so this is an effort to elevate their importance.”
Glaser told Voice of America that “declassifying the Six Assurances provides an opportunity for the U.S. to highlight its commitment to Taiwan and show it is a reliable partner. “