ENI — Members of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan have written an open letter to President Barack Obama asking that his administration review U.S. policy to China and Taiwan and reiterate the need to respect the island’s independence.
“The future of Taiwan and our destiny as a people in Taiwan may be in jeopardy,” said the recent letter, which comes as Obama plans a visit to China in November. The unsettled status of Taiwan is likely to be an issue of discussion between the president and Chinese President Hu Jintao.
Taiwan has in effect functioned as an independent country for 60 years but Beijing views the island nation as a renegade province of China.
The Taiwan Presbyterians declared that “human rights are God-given,” and that the right of self-determination is a principle supported by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. They asked the U.S president “to recognise that Taiwan and China are two separate countries, and cooperate with all peace and justice-loving countries in the world to prevent China from taking over Taiwan by force or any other means.”
