There is a growing chorus of protest against perceived efforts by members of US President Barack Obama’s administration to interfere in Taiwanese elections by boosting President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who is seeking re-election on Jan. 14.
US Representative Michael McCaul and US Senator Sherrod Brown have now written separate letters to US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton urging her to maintain neutrality.
The letters come as the White House appears to be approving measures — which include new visa-waiver rules and visits to Taiwan by senior officials — that could be interpreted as an -endorsement for Ma.
It is believed within some Washington political circles that Obama thinks Ma will continue to appease China if he is re-elected and that he would not cause any problems for US policy by trying to strengthen Taiwanese independence.
“We must send a strong signal that the US is committed to seeing that Taiwan’s elections are free, fair and transparent, and that the results are respected by all sides within Taiwan and by all of its neighbors,” McCaul told Clinton.
“In keeping with our own founding principles of freedom and democracy, I urge the administration to refrain from speaking or acting in any way that might be construed as favoring any one candidate over the others,” McCaul said.
McCaul also said that China might attempt to “undermine the integrity of the electoral process in Taiwan — whether by military or other means — or to interfere with the transfer of power after the election if the opposition party is victorious on Jan. 14.”
In his letter, Brown reminded Clinton that it was US policy to strongly support Taiwan’s democracy and the will of the Taiwanese people to choose their own leaders.
“We don’t take any sides,” Brown said. “It is critical that our government continue to refrain from endorsing a particular political candidate or party. I ask you to ensure that our government does not actively or inadvertently influence the outcome of the upcoming Taiwanese elections.”
Bob Yang (楊英育), president of the Formosan Association for -Public Affairs, commented: “We commend these gestures of bipartisan support in the US House and Senate for free, fair and transparent elections in Taiwan.”
CALL FOR SUPPORT: President William Lai called on lawmakers across party lines to ensure the livelihood of Taiwanese and that national security is protected President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called for bipartisan support for Taiwan’s investment in self-defense capabilities at the christening and launch of two coast guard vessels at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard in Kaohsiung. The Taipei (台北) is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels, and the Siraya (西拉雅) is the Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) first-ever ocean patrol vessel, the government said. The Taipei is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels with a displacement of about 4,000 tonnes, Lai said. This ship class was ordered as a result of former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) 2018
UKRAINE, NVIDIA: The US leader said the subject of Russia’s war had come up ‘very strongly,’ while Jenson Huang was hoping that the conversation was good Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and US President Donald Trump had differing takes following their meeting in Busan, South Korea, yesterday. Xi said that the two sides should complete follow-up work as soon as possible to deliver tangible results that would provide “peace of mind” to China, the US and the rest of the world, while Trump hailed the “great success” of the talks. The two discussed trade, including a deal to reduce tariffs slapped on China for its role in the fentanyl trade, as well as cooperation in ending the war in Ukraine, among other issues, but they did not mention
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi yesterday lavished US President Donald Trump with praise and vows of a “golden age” of ties on his visit to Tokyo, before inking a deal with Washington aimed at securing critical minerals. Takaichi — Japan’s first female prime minister — pulled out all the stops for Trump in her opening test on the international stage and even announced that she would nominate him for a Nobel Peace Prize, the White House said. Trump has become increasingly focused on the Nobel since his return to power in January and claims to have ended several conflicts around the world,
GLOBAL PROJECT: Underseas cables ‘are the nervous system of democratic connectivity,’ which is under stress, Member of the European Parliament Rihards Kols said The government yesterday launched an initiative to promote global cooperation on improved security of undersea cables, following reported disruptions of such cables near Taiwan and around the world. The Management Initiative on International Undersea Cables aims to “bring together stakeholders, align standards, promote best practices and turn shared concerns into beneficial cooperation,” Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said at a seminar in Taipei. The project would be known as “RISK,” an acronym for risk mitigation, information sharing, systemic reform and knowledge building, he said at the seminar, titled “Taiwan-Europe Subsea Cable Security Cooperation Forum.” Taiwan sits at a vital junction on
RSS