Taiwan bluntly warned by Bush: No referendum on China urged
What you're seeing here is the dropping of the ambiguity for both sides because we cannot sort of imply to the Taiwan side that we're sort of agnostic towards moves toward Taiwan independence. But at the same time we've got to make it clear to the Chinese that this is not a green light for you to contemplate the use of force or coercion against Taiwan.
- an "unnamed senior Administration official"
My first thought when I heard this story was that it seemed horribly inconsistent, and indeed perhaps even hypocritical. Here we are, fighting a war in Iraq ("Operation Iraqi Freedom", no?) that ostensibly is to ensure Iraqis their right to independence and self-determination. So, how can we reasonably deny Taiwan the same independence- never mind the fact that they are a de facto independent country as it is?
The difference, of course, is that the People's Republic of China plays the 800-lb. gorilla in this scenario. The PRC's saber-rattling may or may not be a bluff, but it should not change the question at hand: Why shouldn't Taiwan have the right of self-determination? That's an easy answer: because it's not in the Bush Administration's self-interest. Remember the Bush Doctrine: "One war at a time, y'all...."