A US official on Saturday reaffirmed Washington’s stance toward Taiwan, after China’s Xinhua news agency reported that US President Barack Obama expressed the US’ “opposition” to “Taiwanese independence” in a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in China.
“Our position is consistent and longstanding... We remain firmly committed to our ‘one China’ policy based on the three joint communiques and the Taiwan Relations Act,” White House National Security Council spokesman Myles Caggins said in an e-mailed statement.
Obama and Xi held a meeting in Hangzhou on the eve of the G20 summit taking place there, and according to Xinhua, Xi urged the US to honor its commitment to the “one China” policy and the three joint communiques, and safeguard the peaceful development of cross-strait ties and the overall interests of Sino-US cooperation with deeds.
According to Xinhua, Obama responded that the US “opposes all attempts aimed at seeking Taiwanese independence,” and reaffirmed that Tibet belongs to China.
“Our fundamental interest is in peaceful and stable cross-strait relations,” said Caggins, who is among the White House staff accompanying Obama in China.
“We believe that cross-strait issues should be resolved peacefully in a manner, pace and scope acceptable to people on both sides of the Strait,” Caggins added.
However, Caggins did not reveal the details of the meeting between the two leaders.
Earlier this year, Daniel Kritenbrink, senior director for Asian Affairs at the US National Security Council, said that Chinese officials often mention the Taiwanese issue during meetings with their US counterparts, and if US officials comment on the issue, they say: “We do not support Taiwanese independence.”
‘NO SECURITY RISK’: The Railway Bureau reassured the public that the technicians’ activities were limited to technical guidance and did not involve sensitive systems The Railway Bureau yesterday said it had invited eight Chinese technicians to assist with an airport MRT construction project. The bureau issued the confirmation after an Internet user said Chinese nationals had entered the construction zone of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s Terminal 3 project. They asked why “individuals from an enemy state” were allowed access to such a major national infrastructure project, which raised serious concerns over Taiwan’s industrial safety, sensitive systems and information security. The bureau’s Northern Region Engineering Branch Office said subcontractor Taiwan Handle Industrial Co (台灣手把工業) of the Taoyuan airport MRT’s “Contract No. CU05 Project A14 Station Civil, MEP &
A US uncrewed surface vessel (USV) encountered multiple Chinese warships during an autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait, US defense company Seasats said in a statement on Wednesday. Seasats announced that a Lightfish USV had completed the first autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait. Over five days, the USV traversed the entire length of the Strait while constantly monitoring surface vessel traffic, the company said. The Lightfish encountered multiple Chinese warships, one of which was a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Type 056 corvette, it said. The Chinese vessels were operating “well within Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone without transmitting their identity via the
GREATER REACH? Auto parts and wood products would face tariffs of up to 15%, matching those targeting the EU, Japan and South Korea, Vice Premier said The US has announced that preferential tariff treatment for Taiwan’s non-semiconductor Section 232 goods would take effect retroactively from May 1, the Executive Yuan said yesterday. The US government yesterday posted a notice on the Federal Register’s public inspection Web site previewing tariff concessions for Taiwan under a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Taiwan-US investment after two months of negotiations. The MOU signed on Jan. 15 stipulated three major preferential tariff arrangements: a 15 percent “reciprocal” tariff rate for Taiwan without stacking most-favored nation (MFN) rates; preferential Section 232 treatment for semiconductors and related products; and preferential Section 232 treatment for non-semiconductor
The National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology yesterday showcased its locally developed variants of the Vision 60 robotic patrol dog, which it plans to deploy on the nation’s outlying territories in the South China Sea. The variants were produced under the Joint Lab project — created by the institute and domestic companies — and assembled with domestically produced motors, lenses and artificial intelligence (AI) systems alongside licensed tech from the US, Missile and Rocket Systems Research Division deputy director Jen Kuo-kang (任國光) told the media event at a military base in Taipei’s Dazhi (大直) area. Taiwan has built up its strengths