The administration of US President Barack Obama will continue to support Taiwan’s efforts to gain more international space, including becoming an observer at the World Health Assembly (WHA), US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a recent statement.
The statement was made in response to an inquiry from senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Johnny Isakson of Georgia on Clinton’s stance on Taiwan’s WHA bid if she was confirmed as Washington’s top diplomat.
Taiwan was one of the WHO’s original members, but had to forfeit its membership in 1979 after the nation gave up its seat at the UN in 1971. Since 1997, Taiwan has made repeated attempts to re-enter the health body, but each time it has been rejected because of Beijing’s interference.
Since 2004, the US and Japan have publicly shown their support for Taiwan’s bid to become a WHA observer. It has been the subject of much speculation that Taiwan will finally get its wish this May as Beijing is expected to loosen its grip following the recent warming in cross-strait ties.
On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control announced the WHO had agreed to include Taiwan in the International Health Regulations 2005, a global health framework focused on disease surveillance and reporting and had asked the nation to recommend a “point of contact in Taipei.”
Sources close to the two senators said Clinton expressed her approval of both President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) for capitalizing on the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) March presidential election victory to improve cross-strait ties on economic and security issues.
Clinton said under such circumstances and within the realm of the so-called “one China” policy, she believed it would be appropriate for Washington to support Taiwan’s efforts to gain more international space, such as the bid to become a WHA observer.
She also stressed that it was crucial that Beijing show the Taiwanese people that Ma’s pragmatic and non-confrontational approach toward China would glean positive results.
Taiwan’s continual alienation at the WHO would result in public health issues, she said, adding that “just like you, I believe the US should work with Taiwan to correct the situation.”
Congressional members said Clinton also answered favorably questions from Louisiana Senator David Vitter and South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint on strengthening communications with high ranking Taiwanese officials and whether she would maintain the commitment to Taiwan’s security as stated in the Taiwan Relations Act by continuing to sell arms.
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS: Several of the PLA fighter jets that crossed the median line of the Strait came within 68km of Hsinchu, drawing warnings from Taiwan, the ministry said At least 18 Chinese military aircraft yesterday flew into the nation’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on the second day of a US delegation’s visit, the Ministry of National Defense said, adding that the military responded by deploying an air defense missile system to monitor their activities. A delegation led by US Undersecretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment Keith Krach on Thursday started a three-day visit to Taiwan. The ministry from Thursday started publicizing the actions of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in Taiwan’s ADIZ on its Web site and Twitter. According to ministry reports, 18 PLA aircraft
TWO CASES: The five allegedly conspired with conglomerates, threatening the nation’s governance and subverting the rules of ethical conduct, a deputy chief prosecutor said Taipei prosecutors yesterday charged three legislators and one former lawmaker with contravening the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例) in a case linked to former Pacific Distribution Investment Co (太平洋流通) chairman Lee Heng-lung’s (李恆隆) battle with the Far Eastern Group (遠東集團) over ownership of the Pacific SOGO Department Store (太平洋崇光百貨) chain, while independent Legislator Chao Cheng-yu (趙正宇) was indicted in a separate case involving two funeral services companies and a plot of land in a national park. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators Chen Chao-ming (陳超明) and Sufin Siluko (廖國棟), Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Su Chen-ching (蘇震清) and former New Power Party legislator
Swedish Member of Parliament Hampus Hagman is pushing for changing the name of the nation’s trade office in Taipei to signal improved relations with “Asia’s perhaps foremost democracy.” Hagman on Wednesday last week proposed renaming the Swedish Trade and Invest Council to “Sweden’s Office in Taipei,” following similar changes by other nations. The Swedish Trade and Invest Council, part of Business Sweden, is owned by the Swedish government and Swedish industry. Taiwan and Sweden share important values such as respect for democracy, human rights, the rule of law and freedom of speech, Hagman said in the motion, adding that the two nations
PENGHU INSPECTION: Taiwan cannot let its enemies strut around in its airspace, Tsai said, one day after a Chinese spokesman denied a median line exists in the Taiwan Strait Following China’s assertion on Monday that there is no “median line” in the Taiwan Strait, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday pledged to defend the nation’s airspace during a visit to an air force base in Penghu, saying that Taiwan cannot allow others to flex their military muscle in its territorial airspace. Tsai praised the “heroic performance” of the pilots of the Indigenous Defense Fighters who have been intercepting Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force planes in recent days. “I have a lot of confidence in you. As soldiers of the Republic of China [ROC], how could we let enemies strut
RSS