US presidential candidates urge China and Taiwan to settle dispute

Both US presidential candidates have intervened in the ongoing dispute between China and Taiwan.

Republican candidate John McCain said Taiwan’s best approach to resolving the long-running dispute was to negotiate with Beijing from a position of strength.

Speaking at a video conference in Washington, Randall Schriver, a senior McCain aide, said, “At the end of the day, the (Taiwanese) administration is pursuing a course that is popular in Taiwan, that is supported by Taiwan and the US will support those endeavours.”

He also said that McCain did not believe that relations between the two warring countries were moving too fast.

Meanwhile, Democratic candidate Barack Obama said the US should continue to provide the necessary defensive weapons to Taiwan to give the island additional bargaining chips and confidence in its negotiations with China.

Evan Medeiros, a senior member of Obama’s campaign team, said, “We believe that the logic of providing for Taiwan’s legitimate defence needs gives Taiwan the confidence to approach cross-strait dynamics with greater confidence.

“This is really about preserving Taiwan’s latitude for manoeuvre and preserving the ability of the Taiwanese to make choices about their future,” he said.

Taiwan’s claim to be an independent state is challenged by China, which insists the island of 24 million people is a renegade state.

Recently elected Taiwanese president Ma Ying-jeou has been touting a ‘modus vivendi’ strategy, which attempts to set aside Taiwan’s differences with Beijing to find a mutually beneficial equilibrium.

The president has also introduced a series of measures to reduce tensions between his country and China.

Currently, Taiwan enjoys diplomatic relations with less than 30 countries and the EU continues to endorse the so-called ‘One China’ policy.

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