Taipei - Taiwan is closely watching US President Barack Obama's trip to China, fearing that the United States might sacrifice Taipei's interests in trying to boost ties with Beijing. The Foreign Ministry has formed a taskforce to monitor Obama's trip and ensuing interactions between the two nations, Vice Foreign Minister Hou Ching-shan told parliament Monday.
The US has told Taiwan that there would be no surprises, no damage to Taiwan and that Washington would not stray from pledges made to the island, Hou said, adding that he believed there there are no plans to sign a new communique regarding Taiwan during Obama's trip.
When meeting with 500 university students in Shanghai Monday, Taiwan was naturally among the issues raised.
"My administration fully supports the one-China policy. We don't want to change that policy. I am very pleased with the reduction of tensions and improvement of cross-Strait relations," Obama said.
"I think that economic and commercial ties that have taken place in this region are helping to lower a lot of the tensions that date back before you were born or even before I was born," he said.
Yet he did not answer the question about whether the US would continue to sell arms to Taiwan.
The remarks may set the tone for his visit, but Taiwan watchers are wary of surprises.
In 1998, then-president Bill Clinton during a visit to China shocked Taiwan when he said the US did not support Taiwan independence or "one China, one Taiwan" or the "two Chinas policy" or Taiwan joining international organizations whose membership was open to sovereign states.
The US, a long-time anti-Communist ally of the Taiwan government, dropped the island to recognize China in 1979, but the Taiwan Relations Act assures the maintenance of cultural and trade ties with Taipei and the continued sale of defensive weapons.
From 1978 until 1982, the US and China signed three communiques governing Sino-US ties, in which Beijing stated that Taiwan, seat of the exiled Republic of China's government since 1949, is part of China.
The US acknowledged Beijing's stance, but said the Taiwan issue should be solved through peaceful means and the US would reduce - and eventually cease - arms sales to Taipei.
As Sino-US ties have warmed in recent years and the US is becoming more reliant on China to tackle issues like Iran and North Korea's nuclear programmes or climate change, Taiwan fears that Washington might sacrifice it to improve ties with Beijing.
"So far the US has not raised the Taiwan issue, but China is bound to raise it, like asking the US to stop selling arms to Taiwan," Hsiao Bi-khim, a spokeswoman for the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party, said.
Despite the lack of diplomatic ties, the US remains its top trading partner and main arms supplier. It has also served as a mediator between China and Taiwan.
Taiwan-China ties have improved rapidly since President Ma Ying-jeou took office in 2008, vowing to seek reconciliation with Beijing while putting aside political disputes.
China continues to pressure Taiwan for reunification, and has vowed to recover the island of 23 million people by force if Taipei indefinitely delays unification or if it seeks formal separation.
Chinese leaders have said on many occasions that Taiwan is the main obstacle in Sino-US ties and US arms sales to Taipei hinder China's effort to achieve unification.
