The government gave a guarded welcome yesterday to the US' assurances that it would honor its obligations to Taiwan, while academics advised innovative but low-key diplomatic offensives to boost the nation's international position.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said talks between US President George W. Bush and Chinese Vice Premier Qian Qichen (
Bush, who held a one-hour meeting with Qian, said he would "honor our obligations" under the Taiwan Relations Act, which allows the US to supply defensive arms to the country.
"We are not surprised at the ongoing Sino-US exchange," foreign ministry spokeswoman Chang Siao-yue (張小月) told a regular news conference. "But we hope they will not make any deals that are harmful to Taiwan." Chang urged the Bush administration to separate its relations with Beijing from those with Taipei and indicated that the ministry is "cautiously optimistic" about US-Taiwan ties.
Her boss, Tien Hung-mao (田弘茂), seeking to cash in on the change of power in the White House, has repeatedly called on the new US president to drop the "three no's" policy that says Washington will not back Taiwan independence.
Diplomats across the strait have launched public relations campaigns aimed at swaying the outcome of upcoming arms talks between Taipei and Washington.
Qian has openly warned against US sales of advanced weapons to Taiwan, saying the sales would seriously harm bilateral relations and intensify cross-strait tensions. While wary of commenting on Qian's US trip, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said that the Chinese attempts to thwart the country's arms purchases has a "negative effect" on cross-strait interplay.
"The weapons Taiwan hopes to procure are prompted by defense needs," MAC Vice Chairman Lin Chong-pin (
The steep Chinese military buildup in recent years, he pointed out, poses a threat to Taiwan's security and regional stability.
Bush, before starting his closed-door talks with Qian, said he would be "firm" on his stance.
Edward Chen (
"By saying he has obligations to keep, Bush simply wanted to sound diplomatic," Chen said.
He suggested Taiwan seek accession to less sensitive global bodies such as the WTO, IMF and WHO to break its diplomatic isolation. "It doesn't matter as much if Taiwan can't get AEGIS-equipped warships," he said.
The political scientist said that if full membership proves to be impossible, the country should still try to join as an observer.
Johan Chiou (
"Every US president comes into office promising to honor certain policies," Chiou said. "Some seek to fulfill their pledges while others don't even give them the time of day once elected."
She noted that in 1994 former president Bill Clinton promised to help Taiwan join international governmental bodies, but then did little to make good on the pledge during his eight years in office.
Taking a step further, Chiou said fellow diplomats should tell their US counterparts that the US can't push for cross-strait dialogue on the one hand while treating Taipei as a local government on the other. "Taiwan should make clear it will sit at the negotiation table if Beijing promises to treat it as an equal," Chiou said.
Both scholars predicted the Bush team, staffed with several key ex-Cold War warriors, would take a tougher line in dealing with China. But they hesitated to equate that with warmer US-Taiwan ties.
The government is aiming to recruit 1,096 foreign English teachers and teaching assistants this year, the Ministry of Education said yesterday. The foreign teachers would work closely with elementary and junior-high instructors to create and teach courses, ministry official Tsai Yi-ching (蔡宜靜) said. Together, they would create an immersive language environment, helping to motivate students while enhancing the skills of local teachers, she said. The ministry has since 2021 been recruiting foreign teachers through the Taiwan Foreign English Teacher Program, which offers placement, salary, housing and other benefits to eligible foreign teachers. Two centers serving northern and southern Taiwan assist in recruiting and training
WIDE NET: Health officials said they are considering all possibilities, such as bongkrekic acid, while the city mayor said they have not ruled out the possibility of a malicious act of poisoning Two people who dined at a restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Department Store Xinyi A13 last week have died, while four are in intensive care, the Taipei Department of Health said yesterday. All of the outlets of Malaysian vegetarian restaurant franchise Polam Kopitiam have been ordered to close pending an investigation after 11 people became ill due to suspected food poisoning, city officials told a news conference in Taipei. The first fatality, a 39-year-old man who ate at the restaurant on Friday last week, died of kidney failure two days later at the city’s Mackay Memorial Hospital. A 66-year-old man who dined
EYE ON STRAIT: The US spending bill ‘doubles security cooperation funding for Taiwan,’ while also seeking to counter the influence of China US President Joe Biden on Saturday signed into law a US$1.2 trillion spending package that includes US$300 million in foreign military financing to Taiwan, as well as funding for Taipei-Washington cooperative projects. The US Congress early on Saturday overwhelmingly passed the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act 2024 to avoid a partial shutdown and fund the government through September for a fiscal year that began six months ago. Under the package, the Defense Appropriations Act would provide a US$27 billion increase from the previous fiscal year to fund “critical national defense efforts, including countering the PRC [People’s Republic of China],” according to a summary
‘CARRIER KILLERS’: The Tuo Chiang-class corvettes’ stealth capability means they have a radar cross-section as small as the size of a fishing boat, an analyst said President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday presided over a ceremony at Yilan County’s Suao Harbor (蘇澳港), where the navy took delivery of two indigenous Tuo Chiang-class corvettes. The corvettes, An Chiang (安江) and Wan Chiang (萬江), along with the introduction of the coast guard’s third and fourth 4,000-tonne cutters earlier this month, are a testament to Taiwan’s shipbuilding capability and signify the nation’s resolve to defend democracy and freedom, Tsai said. The vessels are also the last two of six Tuo Chiang-class corvettes ordered from Lungteh Shipbuilding Co (龍德造船) by the navy, Tsai said. The first Tuo Chiang-class vessel delivered was Ta Chiang (塔江)