The US and China are to expand their dialogue to cover counterterrorism, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said, although Beijing cautioned against any interference in internal affairs.
“I am pleased to announce that the United States and China will be conducting joint talks on counterterrorism this fall,” Clinton said on Thursday at a business forum attended by China’s National People’s Congress Chairman Wu Bangguo (吳邦國), the second-most powerful man in the Chinese Communist Party after President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤).
“Now, we will not see to eye to eye on every issue,” Clinton said. “We have different histories, different experiences, different perspectives, but we must seek to talk honestly and openly, even when agreement is not possible,” she said. “And we are committed to doing so.”
The talks disclosed by Clinton may be the first institutionalized dialogue with China on counterterrorism, regional diplomats said. Clinton did not provide details on particular issues to be discussed.
Wu, whose US visit is the first by any head of China’s powerful National People’s Congress in 20 years, made clear Beijing would rebuff any interference in China’s internal affairs.
“We believe that one should not interfere in other countries’ internal affairs or impose its own will on others,” he said, seeking respect for “each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
He also said that Beijing was against any international support for “separatist forces” in Tibet or Taiwan.
“We are against the practice of using differences in perception as an excuse and freedom of religion and speech as a cover to support, or support in a disguised way, separatist forces for ‘Taiwan independence,’ ‘Tibet independence’ and other separatist agendas and meddle in China’s internal affairs,” Wu said.
Wu held talks with US President Barack Obama and Vice President Joseph Biden on Thursday and met with House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi a day earlier, saying his visit had achieved “satisfactory results.”
Clinton said that the two countries had also agreed to hold the next round of a human rights dialogue before the end of the year and also reconvene a bilateral legal experts dialogue.
SECURITY: Taipei presses the US for arms supplies, saying the arms sales are not only a reflection of the US security commitment to Taiwan but also serve as a mutual deterrent against regional threats Taiwan is committed to preserving the cross-strait “status quo” and contributing to regional peace and stability, the Presidential Office said yesterday. “It is an undeniable fact that the Republic of China is a sovereign and independent democratic nation,” Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) reiterated, adding that Beijing has no right to claim sovereignty over Taiwan. The statements came after US President Donald Trump warned against Taiwanese independence. Trump wrapped up a state visit to Beijing on Friday, during which Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) had pressed him not to support Taiwan. Taiwan depends heavily on US security backing to deter China from carrying
The subsidiary of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) in Kumamoto, Japan, turned a profit in the first quarter of this year, marking the first time the first fab of the unit has become profitable since mass production started at the end of 2024. According to the contract chipmaker’s financial statement released on Friday, Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Inc (JASM), a joint venture running the fab in Kumamoto, posted NT$951 million (US$30.19 million) in profit in the January-to-March period, compared with a loss of NT$1.39 billion in the previous quarter, and a loss of NT$3.25 billion in the first quarter of
RESOLUTE BACKING: Two Republican senators are planning to introduce legislation that would impose immediate sanctions on China if it attempts to invade Taiwan US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson on Sunday reaffirmed US congressional support for Taiwan, saying the US and “all freedom-loving people” have a stake in preventing China from seizing Taiwan by force. Johnson made the remarks in an interview with Fox News Sunday on US President Donald Trump’s summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) last week. In an interview that aired on Friday on Fox News, just as Trump wrapped up a high-stakes visit to China, he said he has yet to green-light a new US$14 billion arms package to Taiwan and that it “depends on China.” “It’s a very good
US President Donald Trump yesterday said he would speak to President William Lai (賴清德) as his administration considers whether to move ahead with a US$14 billion weapons sale to Taiwan — a potential arms deal that has drawn criticism from China. “Well, I’ll speak to him. I speak to everybody,” Trump told reporters yesterday when asked if he had any plans to call his counterpart, although he did not offer a time frame for when such a conversation could take place. Trump previously said he would speak to the person “that’s running Taiwan,” without specifying who he meant. “We have that situation very
RSS