A verbal commitment to Taiwan from US President Barack Obama at Wednesday's White House media conference came as a big relief to the island's government, which has faced strong criticism from the pro-independence camp for leaning too far towards the mainland and alienating America.
'I reaffirmed our commitment to a one-China policy based on the three US-China Communiques and the Taiwan Relations Act,' Obama said at the joint press conference with President Hu Jintao .
His remarks made up for the missing words in a written US-China joint statement that only said the US 'follows its one-China policy and abides by the principles of the three US-China Joint Communiques'.
In that statement, Beijing emphasised that the Taiwan issue concerns 'China's sovereignty and territorial integrity', and expressed the hope that the US side would honour its commitments and appreciate and support Beijing's position.
Taiwan's foreign ministry was swift to respond to Obama's remarks, saying 'this reflects US commitment to Taiwan's security'. Both Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou and Taiwanese Premier Wu Den-yih made similar comments praising Obama.
Taiwanese authorities and media have been closely monitoring the summit between Obama and Hu because of concerns that the US might sacrifice the island's interests. Ma has stepped up efforts to improve ties with Beijing but wants Washington to abide by the Taiwan Relations Act, which commits the US to boosting Taiwan's military defences.