US Representative Howard Berman, the most senior Democrat on the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, wants to lift restrictions on Taiwanese political leaders visiting the US.
In a speech to the Formosa Foundation in Los Angeles on Saturday, Berman blamed pressure from China for keeping the restrictions in place.
“It’s a crazy thing. Why does some foreign government get to tell the American government and the American people whether or not and under what circumstances a leader from Taiwan can come to this country?” he said.
Photo: CNA
“It is the right of democratic leaders to interface with us directly and not just by telephone. It -bothers me that our policies restrict that. And these policies are in place not for any American interest, but simply to serve somebody else’s interest,” Berman said.
Later, Berman said he wanted the restrictions removed to allow top Taiwanese leaders to visit Washington for direct talks.
He wanted to “build and strengthen” the political-security component in relations between Washington and Taipei, he said, adding that Taiwan was a model for “proponents of democracy.”
Formosa Foundation executive director Terri Giles said Taiwan had no better friend in Washington than Berman.
“There are dozens of items relating to Taiwan for which we are fighting. The Formosa Foundation is actively working to dramatically challenge the conventional wisdom regarding Taiwan and Howard Berman is our partner,” she said.
“What if China attacks Taiwan? What if it puts a blockade on Taiwan? What if it fires missiles?” Berman asked.
“I believe very strongly that the United States must continue to supply Taiwan with weapons so that it can defend itself,” he said.
“Specifically, we should supply Taiwan with the more advanced F-16[C/D] jets. Taiwan’s air force urgently needs its older planes upgraded and it needs the new advanced F-16s as well,” he said. “This is something we ought to do and we ought to do it now.”
China, he said, could lessen Taiwan’s need for the fighters simply by renouncing the use of force against Taiwan.
“We have an obligation to a friend and a democratic ally to make sure it can defend itself,” Berman said.
The US should never “knuckle under” to Beijing, he said.
“Taiwan is a bipartisan issue. We fight about everything back in Washington, but not Taiwan. It’s quite remarkable,” he said.
Berman said the Chinese military was “nowhere near” the US military in terms of capability.
However, Beijing has been spending huge amounts of money building up its military and China’s neighbors in South and Southeast Asia were getting nervous, he said.
As a result, he said, some of these countries were improving their relations with the US and for that development “we can thank China.”
Berman said he would meet Democratic Progressive Party Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) when she visited Washington later this month and that he would try to arrange for her to meet all members of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
He said that the US would recognize and work with whoever won January’s presidential election next year and would closely monitor the election.
“The real test of a democracy is not just holding elections, but conducting a peaceful transition of power should the opposition party win,” he said.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique