Chinese provocations will not win Taiwanese hearts, but will only bring people around the world that cherish democracy closer, White House National Security Adviser John Bolton said in a tweet yesterday.
“Chinese military provocations won’t win any hearts or minds in Taiwan, but they will strengthen the resolve of people everywhere who value democracy. The Taiwan Relations Act [TRA] and our commitment are clear,” Bolton wrote.
Bolton did not elaborate on the US’ commitment to Taiwan.
Photo: Bloomberg
According to the TRA, which serves as the basis of unofficial relations between Taiwan and the US, Washington is obliged to provide Taiwan with defensive weapons.
It must also “maintain the capacity of the United States to resist any resort to force or other forms of coercion that would jeopardize the security, or the social or economic system, of Taiwan’s people,” the act says.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) thanked Bolton for his “unwavering friendship and support” in a tweet.
“We’re determined to deal with any reckless military adventure by the bully across the #Taiwan Strait. Provocation only makes us stronger & as you said: ‘Surrender is not an option,’” Wu wrote.
Bolton’s comments came after two Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force fighter jets crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait on Sunday, a rare move that breached a long-held tacit agreement between the two sides.
Military sources said it was the first time since 1999 that the Chinese military had intentionally crossed the median line that separates Taiwan and China.
Commenting on the incident, Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Dave Eastburn said the US opposes unilateral actions by any party aimed at altering the cross-strait “status quo,” including “any resort to force or other forms of coercion.”
“Consistent with the Taiwan Relations Act, the United States considers any effort to determine the future of Taiwan by other than peaceful means, including by boycotts or embargoes, of grave concern to the United States,” he said.
The Ministry of National Defense said that the air force scambled five fighter jets to intercept two Chinese J-11 fighter planes that crossed the median line and entered Taiwan’s southwestern airspace at 11am on Sunday.
The J-11 aircraft eventually returned to the Chinese side of the median line after receiving multiple radio warnings.
Ian Easton, a research fellow with the US-based think tank Project 2049 Institute, said the provocation was “further evidence that [Chinese President] Xi Jinping (習近平) is an aggressive and ambitious militarist.”
He said it was a good sign that Washington is beginning to realize Beijing’s threat to Taiwan and to the whole Indo-Pacific region.
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