Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian has assured the United States that he will not push for independence from mainland China during the rest of his term.
Mr. Chen met with the new U.S. envoy to Taiwan, Stephen Young, Tuesday. He said there will be "no more surprises."
Mr. Chen was referring to his decision last month to scrap a government body dedicated to unification with mainland China. The U.S. requested clarification on the issue. China, meanwhile, reacted angrily to Taiwan, warning that the decision could bring disaster to the island.
Mr. Chen says he will maintain the status quo with China, and that Taiwan's government will continue to serve as a responsible contributor to maintaining peace across the Taiwan Strait.
China and Taiwan split in 1949 after a civil war, but Beijing considers Taiwan a renegade province.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.