TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan is of "immense strategic importance" to the United States and a key to promoting democratic change in China, Rep. Henry Hyde told a Taiwanese business group on today.
China is certain to emerge as a world power, and as the nation becomes stronger and bolder, the potential for a clash with the United States will likely increase, said Hyde, a Republican from Illinois.
The congressman, who took over as chairman of the House International Relations Committee in January, considers relations with China to be the most important U.S. foreign issue.
He decided to give a speech about China during his three-day visit to Taiwan because he thinks the democratic island should be a model for China's political reform.
Taiwan and China split in 1949 when the Communist Party took over the mainland. An authoritarian regime ruled Taiwan until 1987 when martial law ended and democracy quickly evolved on the island, populated mostly by ethnic Chinese.
In 1996, Taiwan held its first direct presidential election, and last year an opposition candidate was elected president for the first time.
Chinese leaders have argued that democracy does not suit Chinese culture — a position Hyde said was undermined by Taiwan.
"Taiwan's mere existence as a prosperous and stable Chinese democracy is a challenge to the regime in Beijing because it is proof that its propaganda about the impossibility of democracy in China is false," Hyde said.
"A free and uncoerced Taiwan is of immense strategic importance to the U.S. and to the world as a whole," he said.
The lawmaker, who is leading a bipartisan delegation, said he opposed breaking ties with China or threatening the country with sanctions.
But he said the United States must constantly remind the Chinese people that America's goal will be to help China "peacefully bring to power a democratic government."
Hyde's delegation includes Reps. Michael Bilirakis, a Florida Republican; Paul Gillmor, an Ohio Republican; Mel Watt, a North Carolina Democrat; and Darrell Issa, a California Republican.