The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said it has not received any information that US President Donald Trump has asked government officials not to visit Taiwan, and that continuing visits by senior US officials show that Taiwan-US ties remain tight.
The statement came in response to a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) report on Monday that the Trump administration is divided over the impact a US$2 billion-plus arms sale to Taiwan could have on its efforts to reinitiate trade talks with China.
The newspaper cited three anonymous White House and administration sources as saying US officials are worried that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) might use the arms deal as an excuse not to meet with Trump on the sidelines of a G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, later this month.
Photo: CNA
One of the sources told the WSJ that Trump had lashed out last year after hearing that US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Alex Wong (黃之瀚) had traveled to Taipei in March, asking officials what Wong was doing.
Trump requested that no US diplomats travel to Taiwan while he works on a deal with China, the source said.
It “took some convincing” by US officials and lawmakers to make Trump see “the value in using Taiwan as a bargaining chip in his talks with China,” the report said.
The ministry has not received information about Trump’s reported request that US diplomats not visit Taiwan, and it maintains smooth communications with the US, Department of North American Affairs Director-General Vincent Yao (姚金祥) told a routine news conference when asked about the WSJ story.
Over the past several months, many senior US officials have visited Taiwan, which demonstrates the soundness of ties, Yao said.
Among the visitors have been US Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Trade Policy and Negotiations David Meale, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs Nerissa Cook and US Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Marie Royce.
Since Trump’s administration took office in January 2017, the US has announced three arms package sales to Taiwan under the Taiwan Relations Act, showing its commitment to Taiwan’s security, to which the ministry expressed its gratitude, Yao said.
The military has sent four letters of request about purchasing M1A2 Abrams tanks and other items, and is awaiting a response, Yao said, reiterating previous comments by Ministry of National Defense officials.
The process is going smoothly and according to schedule, he said.
Additional reporting by CNA and staff writer
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