Re. "Showdown for Taiwan Leader" by Chunhua Zen Zheng
6/2/01  Houston Chronicle

To the editor:

Your reporter Chunghua Zen Zheng ("Showdown for Taiwan Leader") should know better.  U.S. policy does not support "Taiwan's return to Chinese control." The 1979 Communique states that the U.S. "acknowledges the Chinese position that there is one China and that Taiwan is part of China."  "Acknowledges" is diplomatic language for "takes note of," but it does not imply acceptance of the Chinese position

U.S. policy is based on a peaceful, mutually agreed upon resolution of the Taiwan Strait issue, and, because Taiwan is now a democracy, one that has the consent of the people of Taiwan. All options, from independence to unification, are open, if both sides agree.

Your reporter quotes two people from Taiwan who support unification, a former nationalist soldier and the head of an association of "Chinese Americans."  If she had asked a broader cross-section of the Taiwanese American community, she would have found out why so many of us strongly support President Chen's visit.  We're proud of the democratic transformation of our homeland and believe deeply that the people of Taiwan, not autocrats in Beijing, should determine Taiwan's future.