Taiwan is an important contributor to the US’ strategy for a “free and open Indo-Pacific” and the US should think creatively in approaching its “non-diplomatic partnership” with Taiwan, US Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs Randall Schriver said in a keynote speech at an American Enterprise Institute event in Washington on Tuesday.
Asked about the effects the National Defense Authorization Act for next fiscal year would have on US policy, Schriver said that the US Department of Defense is examining the act to determine whether it is an endorsement for or a mandate to add new elements to existing policy.
While the act calls for hospital ship visits and exchanges between senior officials, those policies are already enabled under the Taiwan Relations Act and other legislation, he said.
Washington understands that the “sense of the Congress” resolution of the act recommends that the US firmly support Taiwan, which is consistent with US lawmakers’ position, he said.
Taiwan is democratic, well-governed, respects human rights and freedom of religion, and has been a guardian of those values in the region, Schriver said.
Taiwan has considerable experience conducting humanitarian aid and disaster relief through non-governmental organizations, he said.
Washington should think creatively to broaden US-Taiwan cooperation through unofficial channels and promote common values, he added.
Asked what has changed the most since he was US assistant secretary of defense under former US president George W. Bush, Schriver said that China has changed greatly and become more powerful, capable and determined.
However, US allies and friends have also grown in capability and willingness to play an active role in the region, including Japan, Australia and New Zealand, which have accepted their responsibility to uphold international norms and the rule of law, he said.
China’s militarization of the South China Sea is problematic and a violation of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) promise to former US president Barack Obama, Schriver said.
Those actions are part of Beijing’s illegal territorial claims and expansion in a disputed maritime region and are damaging to the law-based international order, he said.
China has harassed other nations and made special demands on warships passing through the region, he added.
Expelling China from the Rim of the Pacific Exercise is only the first step of US countermeasures and the US Navy would “absolutely continue” freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea, Schriver said.
More nations are to conduct freedom of navigation operations to contest the territorial claims that China has asserted over the entirety of South China Sea with its “nine-dash” line, he said.
The US has adequate satellite coverage over the region and is to publicize more information to raise international awareness, he added.
Whether US President Donald Trump’s Indo-Pacific Strategy succeeds depends on how many regional partners join the US’ cause, but Schriver said he is confident that Washington will ultimately prevail in Southeast Asia.
While China might resist in the beginning, it will eventually accept the concept of a free and open Indo-Pacific region, he said.
US officials often hear of Southeast Asian nations being unwilling to choose between Washington and Beijing, but given China’s increasingly predatory economic policies and assertive military actions, the choice is no longer that of camps, but of “distinct visions,” he said.
“The choice is between partnership or hegemony, independence or dependence, complete sovereignty or coercion, international laws and norms or unilateral claims,” he said.
Additional reporting by CNA
NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT: An official said that Guan Guan’s comments had gone beyond the threshold of free speech, as she advocated for the destruction of the ROC China-born media influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China content that threatens national security, the National Immigration Agency said yesterday. Guan Guan has said many controversial things in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” while expressing hope for expedited “reunification.” The agency received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification last year. After investigating, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and account for her actions. Guan Guan appeared as required,
Japan and the Philippines yesterday signed a defense pact that would allow the tax-free provision of ammunition, fuel, food and other necessities when their forces stage joint training to boost deterrence against China’s growing aggression in the region and to bolster their preparation for natural disasters. Japan has faced increasing political, trade and security tensions with China, which was angered by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remark that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would be a survival-threatening situation for Japan, triggering a military response. Japan and the Philippines have also had separate territorial conflicts with Beijing in the East and South China
A strong cold air mass is expected to arrive tonight, bringing a change in weather and a drop in temperature, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The coldest time would be early on Thursday morning, with temperatures in some areas dipping as low as 8°C, it said. Daytime highs yesterday were 22°C to 24°C in northern and eastern Taiwan, and about 25°C to 28°C in the central and southern regions, it said. However, nighttime lows would dip to about 15°C to 16°C in central and northern Taiwan as well as the northeast, and 17°C to 19°C elsewhere, it said. Tropical Storm Nokaen, currently
PAPERS, PLEASE: The gang exploited the high value of the passports, selling them at inflated prices to Chinese buyers, who would treat them as ‘invisibility cloaks’ The Yilan District Court has handed four members of a syndicate prison terms ranging from one year and two months to two years and two months for their involvement in a scheme to purchase Taiwanese passports and resell them abroad at a massive markup. A Chinese human smuggling syndicate purchased Taiwanese passports through local criminal networks, exploiting the passports’ visa-free travel privileges to turn a profit of more than 20 times the original price, the court said. Such criminal organizations enable people to impersonate Taiwanese when entering and exiting Taiwan and other countries, undermining social order and the credibility of the nation’s
RSS