My comment:
(a) The VOA report somehow looks familiar to
William Lowther, Ma May Face Questions on China Stance: Academic; ‘Out of Line’: A US professor says Washington may ask Taipei to detail its own claims to the South China Sea and join it in condemning Beijing’s belligerence. Taipei Times, Apr 3, 2014 www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/print/2014/04/03/2003587180
(“George Washington University professor Robert Sutter told a conference on 'Taiwan and the World' this week that the US was frustrated with China and could use ‘a little help’ from Taipei. * * * Washington believes that China is 'out of line' [quoting Sutter] * * * It may only be a matter of time before the US officially asks Taipei to explain and detail its own claims to the South China Sea, academics said. Sutter said that with the US criticizing China for deviating from international norms and using intimidation and coercion, Taiwan may be asked to join the US in condemning Beijing")
* For “Taiwan and the World,” see posting (2).
(b) The VOA report first quote Evan Medeiros in two consecutive paragraphs:
(i) Today (Monday, Apr 21) both Evan Medeiros and Ben Rhodes, deputy national security adviser for strategic communication, met the press at Washington DC regarding Pres Obama’s Asia trip. White House’s website does not have anything about it. Only two media outlets have so far reported about it (Yonhap news 1 hour ago: In Seoul, Obama to mourn victims of ferry sinking; two reports from Global Post 3 hours ago: White House: NK nuke test threat shows it's not serious on dialogue + Obama adviser reiterates US obligation to defend Japan)
(ii) It is 9 am EDT.
(iii) I can not find an English-language news report about either of them in Taiwan, except a Spanish news report of the two mentioning Taiwan fleetingly.
(c) “Sutter said that former US National Security Council director for East Asian Affairs Jeffrey Bader recently indicated that Taiwan should clarify its 'nine-dash line' claim in the South China Sea.”
Jeffrey A Bader, The US and China’s Nine-Dash Line: Ending the Ambiguity. Brookings, Feb 6, 2014 (opinion) www.brookings.edu/research/opini ... ine-dash-line-bader
("The US should discuss with Taiwan whether it can clarify its position on the nine-dash line, to make clear that its claims are consistent with UNCLOS")
The quotation was the only mention of Taiwan in Mr Bader’s writing.
(d) “David Keegan, a highly regarded retired US Department of State official, has authored a paper in which he argues that Taiwan should be brought into the US’ Asia rebalancing policy, he [Sutter] said. 'Does Taiwan want to be rebalanced in this way?' Sutter asked. 'Is Taiwan willing to do this? It’s a risk.'”
See posting (3).
(e) Finally, Taiwan may get involved in pivot/rebalance. For whatever reasons--be they the Ma administration’s wish to stay out of the US-China embroglio or US purposefully keeps Taiwan out of picture--Taiwan has not been broached in geopolitics since President Ma was inaugurated in 2008.
(f) Professor Sutter just a few years back hinted US should abandon Taipei (which is no longer important geopolitically, he maintained), to ameliorate relations with Beijing. 作者: choi 时间: 4-21-2014 17:18
(2) Sigur Center for Asian Studies, Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University, undated
www2.gwu.edu/~sigur/news/events/events2014/2014_apr1_taiwanconference.cfm
Note:
(a) Wan-chin TAI 戴 萬欽
(b) Alexander Chieh-cheng HUANG 黃 介正
(c) Joyce Juo-Yo LIN (should be Joyce Juo-Yu LIN 林 若雩) 作者: choi 时间: 4-21-2014 17:18
(3)
(a) Policy Brief Series Taiwan Relations Act: Time for a Change? www.wilsoncenter.org/publication ... act-time-for-change
"I would suggest that the key is to integrate Taiwan more clearly into several US China policy. Taiwan is no longer a peripheral issue precisely because China's periphery is now the issue." at 5
"the United States must integrate Taiwan into its security planning for China's maritime periphery, avoid unnecessary provocations to the PRC, and resist the inevitable PRC push-back.” at 6