The Presidential Office and the Cabinet yesterday dismissed suggestions that the nation was considering sending troops to Iraq after two members of the US House of Representatives presented a resolution that would require the US president to ask Taiwan to send marines to the recently invaded country.
"As far as I know, it was just a proposal," Cabinet Spokesman Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said. "Up until now, the US government has never made such a request nor have we received any message from the US government in this regard."
The main aim of the nation's armed forces is to defend the country, Chen said, and the Cabinet has no plans to elevate its military cooperation with the US.
"As a member of the international community, we've dedicated ourselves to anti-terrorism, post-war reconstruction and humanitarian aid," he said. "I believe the communication channels with the US military have been smooth and interaction frequent, which has had a positive impact on security across the Taiwan Strait and regional stability."
Presidential Office Spokesman James Huang (
Two pro-Taiwan US House members introduced a resolution on Thursday calling for US President George W. Bush to ask Taiwan to deploy marines to Iraq.
Representative Dana Rohrabacher, co-chairman of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus, and Representative Jim Ryun, also a member of the Taiwan Caucus, said in the resolution that Taiwan was studying the feasibility of sending up to 5,000 marines to Iraq to fight alongside US-led forces.
As a fellow democracy, the resolution said, Taiwan shares the US' passion for promoting freedom, democracy and human rights around the world; and its marines have a deserved reputation throughout the Far East for their high level of training and motivation.
Since the US is requesting other countries to send ground forces to Iraq to join international coalition forces in the global war on terrorism, Bush should "request President Chen to deploy Taiwanese marines to Iraq," said the resolution, which has been referred to the House Committee on International Relations for debate.
Ryun, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, also introduced a draft amendment to a national defense authorization act for next year that considerably raises the level of military exchanges between the US and Taiwan.
Taiwan has reportedly offered to donate US$200 million to help with Iraq's post-war reconstruction during the US-led war against Iraq. The US government reportedly turned down the donation for fear of angering China, which sees Taiwan as a breakaway province.
Taiwan has participated twice in US wars overseas since 1949, according to the April issue of the Taiwan military monthly, Defense International. The nation sent interpreters to interrogate Chinese prisoners of war at the end of the Korean War (1950-1953). It also sent special troops to assist US forces during the Vietnam War (1954-1975).
Also See Story:
Editorial: Horse-trading in a hornets' nest
In his National Day Rally speech on Sunday, Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (黃循財) quoted the Taiwanese song One Small Umbrella (一支小雨傘) to describe his nation’s situation. Wong’s use of such a song shows Singapore’s familiarity with Taiwan’s culture and is a perfect reflection of exchanges between the two nations, Representative to Singapore Tung Chen-yuan (童振源) said yesterday in a post on Facebook. Wong quoted the song, saying: “As the rain gets heavier, I will take care of you, and you,” in Mandarin, using it as a metaphor for Singaporeans coming together to face challenges. Other Singaporean politicians have also used Taiwanese songs
NORTHERN STRIKE: Taiwanese military personnel have been training ‘in strategic and tactical battle operations’ in Michigan, a former US diplomat said More than 500 Taiwanese troops participated in this year’s Northern Strike military exercise held at Lake Michigan by the US, a Pentagon-run news outlet reported yesterday. The Michigan National Guard-sponsored drill involved 7,500 military personnel from 36 nations and territories around the world, the Stars and Stripes said. This year’s edition of Northern Strike, which concluded on Sunday, simulated a war in the Indo-Pacific region in a departure from its traditional European focus, it said. The change indicated a greater shift in the US armed forces’ attention to a potential conflict in Asia, it added. Citing a briefing by a Michigan National Guard senior
CHIPMAKING INVESTMENT: J.W. Kuo told legislators that Department of Investment Review approval would be needed were Washington to seek a TSMC board seat Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) yesterday said he received information about a possible US government investment in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and an assessment of the possible effect on the firm requires further discussion. If the US were to invest in TSMC, the plan would need to be reviewed by the Department of Investment Review, Kuo told reporters ahead of a hearing of the legislature’s Economics Committee. Kuo’s remarks came after US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on Tuesday said that the US government is looking into the federal government taking equity stakes in computer chip manufacturers that
CLAMPING DOWN: At the preliminary stage on Jan. 1 next year, only core personnel of the military, the civil service and public schools would be subject to inspections Regular checks are to be conducted from next year to clamp down on military personnel, civil servants and public-school teachers with Chinese citizenship or Chinese household registration, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. Article 9-1 of the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) stipulates that Taiwanese who obtain Chinese household registration or a Chinese passport would be deprived of their Taiwanese citizenship and lose their right to work in the military, public service or public schools, it said. To identify and prevent the illegal employment of holders of Chinese ID cards or
RSS