NEW YORK -- U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, during a recent visit to China, provoked a diplomatic uproar when he said that Taiwan is not a sovereign state and that the United States seeks to bring about Taiwan's reunification with China.
The comments went beyond the Shanghai communique of 1972 in which the U.S. acknowledged, without accepting, the Chinese position that "there is but one China and that Taiwan is a part of China."
The comments appear to contradict President Ronald Reagan's assurances given to Taiwan in 1982 that Washington "will not alter its position regarding sovereignty over Taiwan and will not exert pressure on Taiwan to enter negotiations with China." Powell's remarks seem to have imposed a policy change and diverged from President Bill Clinton's statements that any change in the future status of Taiwan must have the assent of the people of Taiwan.