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On September 14, Washington DC think tank, “Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)," held a seminar to discuss the presidential election in Taiwan next year. CSIS senior Vice President for Asia and Japan Chair Michael J. Green says that he does not think the US government should put pressure on Tsai Ing-wen to accept the 1992 Consensus.

UDN reports, former White House National Security Council (NSC) Senior Director for Asian Affairs Michael J. Green says that Washington D.C. and Taiwan should each have “three Noes." Taiwan’s three noes are no surprises, no change of the status quo and no free rides for the new government.

The US government’s three noes are no picking sides in the election, no pressure on the candidates to take unrealistic positions and no violation of the six assurances when discussing the Taiwan presidential election with Beijing.

Former Deputy Secretary-General of NSC Ho Szu-yin says that if Tsai wins the election next year, the cross-strait relationship may turn to cold peace from the current warm peace. It may also deteriorate into a cold war.

Ho thinks it’s logically impossible for the DPP to think of a base of interaction with the mainland other than the 1992 Consensus. He says that if they could think of any, the DPP would have thought of it already with its talented think tank. It’s simply because there is no other way around so they choose to maintain the status quo. That’s why there has been a lot of trouble.

Liberty Times reports, Green further states that the Chinese President Xi Jin-ping will definitely mention the issue of Taiwan when he visits the US in September. The Obama government should clarify that the US policy toward Taiwan has not changed; moreover, Obama should tell Xi that Taiwan’s presidential election is in line with the interests of the US.

The success of Taiwan’s democracy should be the core interest of the US since the US will have a long term competition against China as they keep on rising. On the other hand, the US should not view Taiwan only from a cross-strait relation perspective, but from Taiwan’s strategic value of the safety of the first island chain.

US diplomat Wang Xiao-min who currently teaches in Georgetown University says, no matter which party runs the government, they should put emphasis on joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) as it relates to Taiwan’s sustainability in economic growth. Taiwan should start with internal reformation.

Since former president Chen Shui-bian was in office, the US has been stressing that Taiwan’s economic growth should not be a political issue. The US policy on Taiwan’s economy should be politically neutral to prevent Taiwan’s economy from marginalization.

CNA reports, Wang Xiao-min says that both Taiwan-US Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) meetings and Taiwan’s intention in joining TPP are related to the beef trade issue with the US. Taiwan should take action and make promises regarding this issue.

Green says there are three important elements Taiwan has regarding national security interests of the US. The first is Taiwan’s successful democratic system; the second is the strategic value of Taiwan on the first island chain; the third is the economic development between the US and Taiwan.

Translated by Vic
Edited by Olivia Yang

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