The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) expressed deep regret yesterday over Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing's (
In his talks with Rice Thursday, Li urged the US government to stop selling advanced arms, to halt official engagements and to stop helping Taiwan to participate in international organizations where statehood is required for membership.
However, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mark Chen (
"The US will stick to the Taiwan Relations Act [TRA]," he said.
Li "strongly" urged the US to understand the sensitivity of the Taiwan issue and the "gravity" of the current situation.
Anna Kao (
By making the remarks, Li not only interfered in the development of US-Taiwan relations, he also attempted to undermine the 2001 agreement in which the US agreed to continue selling defensive weapons to Taiwan, Kao noted.
Kao said Li's remarks are not conducive to positive growth in the development of cross-Strait relations.
Saying that Taiwan has purchased arms only for self-defense -- rather than for military assault -- Kao said China's demand that the US stop selling weaponry to Taiwan reflects Beijing's mentality that it will not renounce using force against Taiwan to solve differences.
Kao said the MOFA believes that Washington will continue to observe its commitment to the TRA and the Six Assurances, under which the US has pledged to provide Taiwan with sufficient defense capabilities to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
The MOFA also firmly believes that US support for Taiwan, including support for Taiwan's bid to participate in various international organizations, will not change because of Beijing's demands, Kao said.
Auckland rang in 2026 with a downtown fireworks display launched from New Zealand’s tallest structure, Sky Tower, making it the first major city to greet the new year at a celebration dampened by rain, while crowds in Taipei braved the elements to watch Taipei 101’s display. South Pacific countries are the first to bid farewell to 2025. Clocks struck midnight in Auckland, with a population of 1.7 million, 18 hours before the famous ball was to drop in New York’s Times Square. The five-minute display involved 3,500 fireworks launched from the 240m Sky Tower. Smaller community events were canceled across New Zealand’s
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said it is closely monitoring developments in Venezuela, and would continue to cooperate with democratic allies and work together for regional and global security, stability, and prosperity. The remarks came after the US on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was later flown to New York along with his wife. The pair face US charges related to drug trafficking and alleged cooperation with gangs designated as terrorist organizations. Maduro has denied the allegations. The ministry said that it is closely monitoring the political and economic situation
UNRELENTING: China attempted cyberattacks on Taiwan’s critical infrastructure 2.63 million times per day last year, up from 1.23 million in 2023, the NSB said China’s cyberarmy has long engaged in cyberattacks against Taiwan’s critical infrastructure, employing diverse and evolving tactics, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday, adding that cyberattacks on critical energy infrastructure last year increased 10-fold compared with the previous year. The NSB yesterday released a report titled Analysis on China’s Cyber Threats to Taiwan’s Critical Infrastructure in 2025, outlining the number of cyberattacks, major tactics and hacker groups. Taiwan’s national intelligence community identified a large number of cybersecurity incidents last year, the bureau said in a statement. China’s cyberarmy last year launched an average of 2.63 million intrusion attempts per day targeting Taiwan’s critical
‘SLICING METHOD’: In the event of a blockade, the China Coast Guard would intercept Taiwanese ships while its navy would seek to deter foreign intervention China’s military drills around Taiwan this week signaled potential strategies to cut the nation off from energy supplies and foreign military assistance, a US think tank report said. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted what it called “Justice Mission 2025” exercises from Monday to Tuesday in five maritime zones and airspace around Taiwan, calling them a warning to “Taiwanese independence” forces. In a report released on Wednesday, the Institute for the Study of War said the exercises effectively simulated blocking shipping routes to major port cities, including Kaohsiung, Keelung and Hualien. Taiwan would be highly vulnerable under such a blockade, because it
RSS