The US government’s US$255 million investment in the new American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) compound is a symbol of its commitment to Taiwan, US Representative Gregg Harper, who co-chairs the US Congressional Taiwan Caucus, said yesterday.
“The opening tomorrow of the new AIT headquarters shows how important our relationship is to the US,” the Republican lawmaker from Mississippi said.
Harper and his wife, Sidney, arrived on Sunday to attend today’s dedication ceremony of the new office complex in Taipei’s Neihu District (內湖). This is Harper’s third visit to Taiwan.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
Commenting on US-Taiwan relations, Harper said that as the caucus co-chair, he would assure people in Taiwan that “in Washington DC, our commitment is as strong or stronger than ever, and will continue that way in the future.”
While Republicans and Democrats in the US Congress do not always get along, “we recently passed the Taiwan Travel Act unanimously... That does not happen very often,” he said.
The act, which encourages visits between US and Taiwanese officials “at all levels,” was signed into law on March 16.
As free and democratic societies, the US and Taiwan share the same values, and this would allow them to maintain close relations, Harper said.
China’s pressuring of international companies into changing their references to Taiwan was an unfortunate development, and he has encouraged such companies to not give in to pressure, he said.
AIT Chairman James Moriarty, who arrived in Taiwan on Sunday, yesterday said the new AIT complex is “an important symbol” of US commitment to Taiwan.
It is Moriarty’s fourth visit since his appointment as AIT chairman in October 2016, the AIT said in a statement.
He also worked at the AIT in Taipei from 1995 to 1998.
Moriarty is scheduled to meet with several senior political and business figures, including some from Kaohsiung and Tainan, before leaving on Saturday, the AIT said.
The US delegation to today’s ceremony also includes US Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Marie Royce, who is making her first trip to Taiwan in that capacity, although she has visited before with her husband, US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce.
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Marie Royce are expected to speak at today’s event, the AIT said.
WAITING GAME: The US has so far only offered a ‘best rate tariff,’ which officials assume is about 15 percent, the same as Japan, a person familiar with the matter said Taiwan and the US have completed “technical consultations” regarding tariffs and a finalized rate is expected to be released soon, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) told a news conference yesterday, as a 90-day pause on US President Donald Trump’s “reciprocal” tariffs is set to expire today. The two countries have reached a “certain degree of consensus” on issues such as tariffs, nontariff trade barriers, trade facilitation, supply chain resilience and economic security, Lee said. They also discussed opportunities for cooperation, investment and procurement, she said. A joint statement is still being negotiated and would be released once the US government has made
Authorities have detained three former Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TMSC, 台積電) employees on suspicion of compromising classified technology used in making 2-nanometer chips, the Taiwan High Prosecutors’ Office said yesterday. Prosecutors are holding a former TSMC engineer surnamed Chen (陳) and two recently sacked TSMC engineers, including one person surnamed Wu (吳) in detention with restricted communication, following an investigation launched on July 25, a statement said. The announcement came a day after Nikkei Asia reported on the technology theft in an exclusive story, saying TSMC had fired two workers for contravening data rules on advanced chipmaking technology. Two-nanometer wafers are the most
NEW GEAR: On top of the new Tien Kung IV air defense missiles, the military is expected to place orders for a new combat vehicle next year for delivery in 2028 Mass production of Tien Kung IV (Sky Bow IV) missiles is expected to start next year, with plans to order 122 pods, the Ministry of National Defense’s (MND) latest list of regulated military material showed. The document said that the armed forces would obtain 46 pods of the air defense missiles next year and 76 pods the year after that. The Tien Kung IV is designed to intercept cruise missiles and ballistic missiles to an altitude of 70km, compared with the 60km maximum altitude achieved by the Missile Segment Enhancement variant of PAC-3 systems. A defense source said yesterday that the number of
Taiwanese exports to the US are to be subject to a 20 percent tariff starting on Thursday next week, according to an executive order signed by US President Donald Trump yesterday. The 20 percent levy was the same as the tariffs imposed on Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh by Trump. It was higher than the tariffs imposed on Japan, South Korea and the EU (15 percent), as well as those on the Philippines (19 percent). A Taiwan official with knowledge of the matter said it is a "phased" tariff rate, and negotiations would continue. "Once negotiations conclude, Taiwan will obtain a better
RSS