Taiwan's incoming president scraps plan to visit US

Thu May 8, 11:12 AM ET

TAIPEI (AFP) - Taiwan's incoming president Ma Ying-jeou has dropped plans to visit the United States before his inauguration in a move seen as avoiding a dilemma for Washington, US and Taiwanese officials said Thursday.

Ma, who trounced the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's candidate in the March 22 presidential election, had expressed his desire to visit before he takes office on May 20.

Although it was believed Ma had not formally applied to Washington for the trip, his remarks had disturbed Taiwan's ally as such as visit would anger Beijing.

"I myself had a conversation with president-elect Ma... we had reached a mutual agreement that the time really wasn't sufficient for him to visit the United States," de facto US envoy Stephen Young, director of the American Institute in Taiwan, told reporters.

"Frankly it wasn't necessary."

Ma's spokesman Lo Chih-chiang also confirmed the agreement but declined to provide details.

Young insisted that the agreement was not made under pressure from Beijing.

"There was no Chinese element in it. This is just between the United States and Taiwan," he said.

China opposes any foreign visits by high-level officials from Taiwan, which it regards as part of its territory awaiting reunification, by force if necessary.

However, Young said Washington would allow Ma to make transit stops in the future on the principle of "convenience, comfort and safety".

He defended the US government's appointment of Andrew H. Card, former White House chief of staff, as the head of the US delegation to participate in Ma's inauguration.

"He is an excellent choice because he is a close friend of President George W. Bush," Young said, responding to claims the appointment of a retired government official indicates Washington does not attach great importance to its ties with Taipei.

The American Institute is authorised by Washington to handle civil exchanges with Taipei in the absence of diplomatic ties.

Young also said the United States had been encouraged by a recent meeting between Taiwan's vice president-elect Vincent Siew and Chinese President Hu Jintao on the sidelines of a forum in China.

"It was a good start," he said, urging Beijing to reopen dialogue with Taiwan to cash in on the top-level contact which Ma said had started to "thaw the ice" in cross-strait ties.

In the meantime, Young also renewed Washington's pledge to supply the island with sufficient weapons so it could explore closer ties with its giant neighbour without fear of pressure or coercion.

Washington is the leading arms supplier to Taiwan despite its switch of diplomatic ties from Taipei to Beijing in 1979.