SINGAPORE, April 22 (UPI) -- The United States says it would welcome a mutually acceptable change in the current strained relations between Taiwan and China.
Speaking at a conference jointly organized by the Singapore Institute of
International Affairs and the Center on International Cooperation at New
York University, Matthew Daley, deputy assistant secretary of state, said: "We do not support Taiwan independence and oppose moves by either side to unilaterally change the status quo. For Beijing, this means no use of force or coercive measures against Taiwan. For Taiwan, this means exercising prudence in all areas touching on cross-strait relations and avoiding overtly provocative gestures that advocate or appear to advocate independence."
However, he also indicated the United States did not support the status-quo and was prepared to see a change.
"That is something that both in Taipei and in Beijing people are going to give a lot of thought to, but it does reinforce the point I made that the American policy is not simply one of insisting on the status quo," he told the conference.
