ISSUES STUDIES status quo-an ambivalent and intermediate point between unification and independence.On the one hand,Washington adheres to the one-China policy and denies that Taiwan is a sovereign state,as reflected in Presi- dent Bill Clinton's "three no's"statement during his 1998 trip to China and former Secretary of State Colin Powell's remark that "Taiwan is not in- dependent"during his October 2004 trip to Beijing.On the other hand,it implicitly challenges"PRC claims to sovereignty and reveal[s]the limits on the degree to which the United States can subscribe to those claims."7 This is displayed by Washington's opposition to any PRC military attack on Taiwan and its insistence that the island's future should be resolved peacefully and accepted by the Taiwanese people.Quite apart from Wash- ington's ambiguous definition of the status quo,it is also interpreted differ- ently by the PRC and Taiwan,depending on whether China is one country or whether Taiwan is already an independent sovereign state.Given this political dispute between the two sides regarding the definition of the status quo,it is difficult to imagine that they could reach an interim peace agree- ment before finally deciding Taiwan's future.The status quo,therefore,is unstable by nature.However,it is regarded as a feasible policy option by the United States. The next choice is to accept China's peaceful unification.From a geopolitical perspective,it is difficult to imagine that Washington is really happy to see the two sides moving toward peaceful unification.A unified China might have implications for current Washington-Taipei political, economic,and military relations,and result in the United States being marginalized in relation to the Taiwan issue.However,if the status quo is unsustainable,this option might be better than a military conflict across the Taiwan Strait which would force the United States to make a reluctant 6The"three no's"refers to the U.S.policy that states:"We don't support independence for Tai- wan,or two Chinas,or one Taiwan,one China.And we don't believe that Taiwan should be a member of any organization for which statehood is a requirement."For Colin Powell's remarks,see Anthony Yuen,"Interview with Secretary of State Colin L.Powell,"Beijing, October 25,2004,http://usinfo.state.gov/p/eap/Archive/2004/Oct/-277540.htm (accessed November 15,2004). Romberg,Rein In at the Brink of the Precipice,7. 220 June 2007ISSUES & STUDIES 220 June 2007 status quo— an ambivalent and intermediate point between unification and independence. On the one hand, Washington adheres to the one-China policy and denies that Taiwan is a sovereign state, as reflected in Presi￾dent Bill Clinton's "three no's" statement during his 1998 trip to China and former Secretary of State Colin Powell's remark that "Taiwan is not in￾dependent" during his October 2004 trip to Beijing. 6 On the other hand, it implicitly challenges "PRC claims to sovereignty and reveal[s] the limits on the degree to which the United States can subscribe to those claims." 7 This is displayed by Washington's opposition to any PRC military attack on Taiwan and its insistence that the island's future should be resolved peacefully and accepted by the Taiwanese people. Quite apart from Wash￾ington's ambiguous definition of the status quo, it is also interpreted differ￾ently by the PRC and Taiwan, depending on whether China is one country or whether Taiwan is already an independent sovereign state. Given this political dispute between the two sidesregarding the definition of the status quo, it is difficult to imagine that they could reach an interim peace agree￾ment before finally deciding Taiwan's future. The status quo, therefore, is unstable by nature. However, it is regarded as a feasible policy option by the United States. The next choice is to accept China's peaceful unification. From a geopolitical perspective, it is difficult to imagine that Washington is really happy to see the two sides moving toward peaceful unification. A unified China might have implications for current Washington-Taipei political, economic, and military relations, and result in the United States being marginalized in relation to the Taiwan issue. However, if the status quo is unsustainable, this option might be better than a military conflict across the Taiwan Strait which would force the United States to make a reluctant 6The "three no's" refersto the U.S. policy thatstates: "We don'tsupport independence for Tai￾wan, or two Chinas, or one Taiwan, one China. And we don't believe that Taiwan should be a member of any organization for which statehood is a requirement." For Colin Powell's remarks, see Anthony Yuen, "Interview with Secretary of State Colin L. Powell," Beijing, October 25, 2004, http://usinfo.state.gov/p/eap/Archive/2004/Oct/-277540.htm (accessed November 15, 2004). 7Romberg, Rein In at the Brink of the Precipice, 7