The Four Noes and One Without (), also known as the Four Noes () was a pledge by former President of the Republic of China Chen Shui-bian made in his inauguration speech on 20 May 2000, concerning the political status of Taiwan. It was an important part of cross-straits relations. The pledge was that, provided the People's Republic of China has no intention to use military force against Taiwan, Chen's administration would not: declare Taiwanese independence, change the national title from "the Republic of China" to "the Republic of Taiwan", include the doctrine of special state-to-state relations in the Constitution of the Republic of China, or promote a referendum on unification or independence. The above four pledges are called the "Four Noes". In addition, the "One Without" was that Chen's administration would not abolish the National Unification Council (later abolished in 2006) or the National Unification Guidelines though during his administration the National Unification Council met only once. On February 27, 2006, the Council ceased to function in tandem with the elimination of its already meager budget. Chen said that his decision did not change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, but instead returned sovereignty to the people of Taiwan. The Four Noes and One Without were an important part of Republic of China-United States relations. Several times, Chen had to reassure the United States that the Four Noes and One Without policy had not been abolished and that he was not attempting to circumvent the pledge via any loopholes. The phrase that the United States used with regard to the policy of "Four Noes and One Without" was that the United States "appreciate[d] Chen's pledge and t[ook] it very seriously. Policy revision On 27 February 2006, Chen dismantled the National Unification Council and Guidelines saying they "will cease functioning and the budget no longer be appropriated", effectively breaking the promises made in 2000 if 'cease functioning' is considered to be synonymous with 'abolishing'. However, as the People's Republic of China has threatened to use military force against Taiwan by passing the Anti-Secession Law in March 2005 and continuing the buildup of missiles opposite the Taiwan Strait, the no intent of aggression provision may have long been violated. It is noteworthy that the 2004 referendum called by President Chen Shui-bian held in tandem with the presidential election used the 'emergent threat' stipulation in Taiwan's Referendum Law, thereby implying the