The US Department of Defense (DOD) on Friday said that it would continue to build a strong partnership with Taiwan in the Indo-Pacific as part of its efforts to maintain security in the area.
In its Indo-Pacific Strategy Report, the Pentagon said that at a time when China is escalating its pressure on Taiwan, the Taipei-Washington partnership has been critical to the region and the US would continue to ensure that Taiwan has sufficient capability to defend itself.
“The United States has a vital interest in upholding the rules-based international order, which includes a strong, prosperous and democratic Taiwan,” the report said.
“The United States is pursuing a strong partnership with Taiwan and will faithfully implement the Taiwan Relations Act [TRA], as part of a broader commitment to the security and stability of the Indo-Pacific,” the report said. “Our partnership is vital given China’s continued pressure campaign against Taiwan.”
The TRA, which provides the legal basis for unofficial relations between Taiwan and the US, was signed into law on April 10, 1979, by then-US president Jimmy Carter, several months after the US switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing.
The report said that Taiwan last year lost three diplomatic allies — the Dominican Republic, Burkina Faso and El Salvador — and that some international forums continued to deny participation to the nation’s representatives.
Beijing has never given up the use of military force to reach the goal of unification with Taiwan, the report said.
“The salience of defense engagements has increased, as the PLA [China’s People’s Liberation Army] continues to prepare for contingencies in the Taiwan Strait to deter, and if necessary, compel Taiwan to abandon moves toward independence,” the report said.
“As part of a comprehensive campaign to pressure Taiwan, China has increased military exercises in the vicinity of Taiwan, including circumnavigation flights by the PLA Air Force and naval exercises in the East China Sea,” it said.
According to the Pentagon, the goal for the department is to ensure that Taiwan remains secure, confident and free from China’s coercion, and to enable Taipei to engage Beijing peacefully and productively on its own terms.
“The department is committed to providing Taiwan with defense articles and services in such quantity as may be necessary to enable Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability,” the report said.
“DOD is continually engaged in evaluating Taiwan’s defense needs to assist Taiwan in identifying capabilities that are mobile, survivable and effective in resisting the use of force or other forms of coercion,” it added.
In the report, the Pentagon cited US Vice President Mike Pence as saying: “America will always believe that Taiwan’s embrace of democracy shows a better path for all the Chinese people.”
Separately yesterday, at the 18th Shangri-La Dialogue — the leading security forum in the Asia-Pacific region — the US said it would continue to meet its defense obligations to Taiwan.
Acting US Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan made the remark during the three-day dialogue held in Singapore that gathers defense ministers and high-ranking military officials from around the world.
Commenting on the US’ cooperation with countries in Asia, Shanahan said that Washington would continue to meet its obligations under the TRA to make defense articles and defense services available to Taiwan.
“This support empowers the people of Taiwan to determine their own future,” he said.
The US maintains that any resolution of differences across the Taiwan Strait must occur in the absence of coercion and accord with the will of the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, Shanahan added.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its appreciation for the US’ continued support.
As a responsible member of the Indo-Pacific region, Taiwan would continue to improve security cooperation with the US and other like-minded countries to contribute to regional peace, it said.
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