However, Washington's messenger failed to provide reassurance on the most fundamental issue, namely whether the new Democratic president will "respect" the fact that Taiwan is now a fully democratic state and whether Obama will "respect" the fundamental right of the 23 million Taiwan people to have the final power to decide their future, including the shape of future relations with the PRC.

The AIT chairman, who was appointed to the AIT post in 2002 by former right-wing Republican president George W. Bush, discussed the significance and content of Obama's first state visit to the People's Republic of China with President Ma Ying-jeou and other members of his right-wing Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomnitang) administration and opposition Democratic Progressive Party Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen and reporters before departing yesterday.

Burghardt maintained that Obama had not made any statements that indicated a change in Washington's policy toward Taiwan.

The AIT chairman stressed that TRA, which Obama publically mentioned in a press statement after his summit meeting with PRC State Chairman and Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Hu Jintao November 15, remains the foundation of Washington's policy toward Taiwan.

Moreover, the AIT chairman explained that the expression of Washington's respect for "China's sovereignty and territorial integrity" reflected only U.S. agreement that both Tibet and Xinjiang are part of the PRC and did not refer to Taiwan.

Moreover, the AIT chairman stressed in a meeting with President Ma that "the U.S. has never taken a position on the political status of Taiwan."

Moreover, Burghardt said Obama reaffirmed the U.S. commitment under the TRA to help Taiwan maintain its self-defense capability despite Beijing's objections and indicated that the door remained open on whether the next procurement package would include F-16 C/D jet fighters.

Such "assurances" are welcome but insufficient.

Beijing will undoubtedly use U.S.-China Joint Statement's affirmation of Washington's "respect" for "China's sovereignty and integrity" in the world media as confirmation of its own claim of ownership over Taiwan.

Given the PRC's global clout, the AIT chairman's "assurances" to Taiwan politicians that this "acknowledgement" will not impinge on Taiwan's international status was an exercise in political doublespeak for the consumption of the Taiwan people.

Whose assent?

Even more worrying is Washington's evident lack of "respect" for the fact that Taiwan is a democratic society and for the fundamental human rights, including the right of self-determination, of the Taiwan people.

he AIT chairman manifested his disrespect for Taiwan's democracy by incorrectly and insultingly characterizing citizen opposition to the October 22 protocol to open Taiwan's market to high-risk ground beef, beef on bone and offals as a "phony issue."

But far more worrisome was Burghardt's statement Tuesday evening that Washington maintains that the disputes between the PRC and Taiwan should be resolved through "peaceful means" and "with the assent of the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait."

This formula of "dual assent," which appeared in the middle of the Bush administration's eight years, marked a dramatic and dangerous retreat from the position articulated by former Democratic president Bill Clinton on February 24, 2000 that "issues between Taiwan and China should be resolved peacefully" and "with the assent of the people of Taiwan."

The anti-democratic and absurd character of Burghardt's statement is easily shown by a simple inquiry on how the "assent of the people on both sides" of the Taiwan Strait can be determined.

The 23 million people living in Taiwan's democratic society can give or refuse their assent quite simply and directly through the direct democratic mechanism of a national citizen referendum, but the 1.3 billion people who live under the PRC's one-party state do not have any available open, fair and accountable democratic procedure to express their will.

Indeed, the only person who has the right to express "assent" to any cross-strait solution in the PRC's one-party state is none other than Hu himself.

The AIT chairman's implication that the CCP has veto power over the collective will of the 23 million citizens of a democratic state mocks Obama's affirmation in Beijing of the universality of "fundamental human rights" for "all peoples."

Obama has an obligation to publically reassure both the Taiwan people and the world community that Washington does not include Taiwan in its expression of "respect" for the PRC's sovereignty, that his administration will not retreat on its obligations under the TRA and that his administration will uphold the principle that differences between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait must be resolved peacefully and "with the assent of the Taiwan people" alone.