AIT liaison arrives to give brief on Obama's China visit

American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Chairman Raymond F. Burghardt will meet with President Ma Ying-jeou and other political figures before wrapping up his visit Nov. 25, according to the AIT Taipei office, the de facto U.S. embassy in Taiwan.

Burghardt is expected to brief Ma on Obama's recent talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao in Beijing, during a meeting scheduled for Tuesday, government sources said.

The Obama administration's attitude toward arms sales to Taiwan as well as the controversy surrounding Taiwan's relaxation of its regulations on U.S. beef imports will also be brought up during Burghardt's talks with Ma and other Taiwanese officials, the sources said.

Burghardt will also meet with Legislative Yuan Speaker Wang Jin-pyng, Premier Wu Den-yi, Mainland Affairs Council Chairwoman Lai Shin-yuan and opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen and dine with several Taiwanese business leaders.

Vice Foreign Affairs Minister Shen Lyu-shun said recently that he hopes to discuss with Burghardt the importance of the Taiwan Relations Act — the U.S. law that regulates relations with Taiwan in the absence of official ties.

As two motions have been proposed in U.S. Congress to push Obama to approve arms sales to Taiwan, diplomatic officials said the Taiwan government hopes to learn more about the Obama administration's stance on the issue.

Meanwhile, Hsiao Bi-khim, the DPP's international affairs chief, said her party is concerned about the possible impact on Taiwan of the recent Obama-Hu joint statement that the United States respects China's territorial integrity.

“During our meeting with Burghardt, we will express our worries about the implications of such a statement and our hopes for re-negotiation of the U.S.-Taiwan beef trade protocol,” said the official from the pro-Taiwan independence party.

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