Taiwan-China: Recent Economic, Political, and Military Developments Across the Strait, and Implications for the United States. Hearing Before The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, One Hundred Eleventh Congress, Second Session

摘要

This is a summation of the Commission's hearing. Representatives from the Executive Branch provided the Commission with the Obama Administration's perspective. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs David B. Shear testified that while the United States supports the remarkable progress in the cross-Strait relationship over the past two years, Washington remains 'opposed to unilateral attempts by either side to change the status quo.' The United States, he said, continues to have 'a strong security interest in doing all that it can to create an environment conducive to a peaceful and noncoercive resolution of issues between Taiwan and China.' Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs Michael Schiffer told the Commission that it appears 'Beijing's long-term strategy is to use political, diplomatic, economic, and cultural levers to pursue unification with Taiwan, while building a credible military threat to attack the island if events are moving in what Beijing sees as the wrong direction.' Expert witnesses described to the Commission recent developments in the military and security situation across the Taiwan Strait. Panelists agreed that while the growing economic integration between China and Taiwan is an important development in the cross-Strait relationship, it should be accompanied by a similar growth in U.S.-Taiwan economic ties. Witnesses agreed that although recent progress in the cross-Strait relationship has occurred, the United States still has a role to play in ensuring that any remaining problems do not disrupt regional stability. Prepared statements submitted by the witnesses are now available on the Commission's website. The full transcript of the hearing will be available shortly.