State of Denial, by Bob Woodward: on Foreign Policy

George W. Bush: 2001 secret China meeting: backed off from defending Taiwan

"Yes, we do. And the Chinese must understand that," Bush replied.

"And you would..."

"Yes, I would."

"With the full force of the American military?"

"Whatever it took to help Taiwan defend herself."

It was one of the strongest statements the US had made about the delicate issue of Taiwan. The Chinese were very upset.

How do I get out of this? Bush essentially asked. After listening to [adviser Brent] Scowcroft, Bush asked him to go on a secret mission to China to meet with President Jiang Zemin and explain US policy. Scowcroft told the Chinese leader that Bush's policy was to defend Taiwan if the island was attacked unprovoked, but if the Taiwanese took action to change the status quo on their own, the US would not defend them. Jiang and Bush seemed satisfied, and Scowcroft's secret mission never became public.