In the wake of the announcement of a joint statement by U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao earlier that day, Tsai Wei said Taiwan's role and function in the Taipei- Beijing-Washington relations might be further marginalized.

The two leaders pointed out five areas of emphasis in the joint statement - U.S.-China relations, building and deepening bilateral strategic trust, economic cooperation and global recovery, regional and global challenges, and climate change, energy and the environment.

Tsai called attention to the part of the statement regarding building and deepening bilateral strategic trust, saying that "China emphasized that the Taiwan issue concerns China's sovereignty and territorial integrity... The United States stated that it follows its one China policy and abides by the principles of the three U.S.-China joint communiques."

Although Obama did mention the Taiwan Relations Act, the U.S. law governing relations between Washington and Taipei in the absence of diplomatic relations, only the three communiques appeared on the joint statement, Tsai pointed out.

The professor of international relations suggested that as China's economy continues to grow and its role in international relations and regional security expands, Obama's China visit and the issuance of the joint statement could weaken relations between the U.S. and Taiwan and further marginalize Taiwan's role in the triangular relations.

However, interpreting the development from a different angle, Tsai added, the U.S. might need Taiwan more as leverage to check and balance the rising power of China.