MR. BOUCHER: I would address it the same way I have previously, to say that we oppose any attempt by either side to unilaterally change the status quo in the Taiwan Straits. We also urge both sides to refrain from actions or statements that increase tensions or make dialogue more difficult to achieve.
Therefore, we would be opposed to any referenda that would change Taiwan's status or move towards independence. The United States has always held, and again reiterates, that cross-Strait dialogue is essential to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait area.
President Chen pledged in his inaugural address in the year 2000 not to declare independence, not to change the name of Taiwan's Government, and not to add the "state-to-state" theory to the constitution, and not to promote a referendum to change the status quo on independence or unification.
We appreciate President Chen's pledge in 2000, and his subsequent reaffirmations of it, and we take it very seriously.