President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday urged New Zealand to revise its "one-China" stance, apparently suggesting the country adopt the recent practice of the US and increase high-level exchanges between Taiwan and New Zealand.
"The Republic of China is now New Zealand's ninth-largest trading partner. But the two countries rarely engage in high-level exchanges due to New Zealand's adherence to the so-called `one China' policy," Chen said.
Chen made his appeal while receiving three influential New Zealand parliamentarians, Wyatt Creech, Max Bradford and John Luxton.
"New Zealand is an independent sovereign state," Chen said. "I think there is room for New Zealand to revise its one-China stance."
The president then cited his stopovers in the US en route to and from Latin America in May this year.
"Although the United States does not maintain formal diplomatic ties with the ROC, it agreed to my transit stops in New York and Houston recently and didn't oppose my meeting a large number of members of Congress during my stay in the two American cities," Chen said.
Moreover, Chen said, the US health secretary voiced public support for Taiwan's bid to join the World Health Organization (WHO) as an observer earlier this year.
"We hope the New Zealand government can refer to the US experience in revising and adjusting its engagement with Taiwan," Chen said.
The two countries also have a common interest in boosting bilateral trade and economic cooperation, Chen said. He added he would continue pushing for closer bilateral relations during his presidency.
"I look forward to seeing major breakthroughs in high-level exchanges and economic cooperation between the Republic of China and New Zealand," he told his guests.
The visiting parliamentarians said their country now has many immigrants from Taiwan, who have greatly contributed to the state's development.
Creech, a former deputy prime minister, said he hopes to see political, economic and cultural exchanges and cooperation between Taiwan and New Zealand increase steadily.
He also said New Zealand is willing to use various channels to help persuade China to resolve cross-strait disputes by peaceful means.
NO-LIMITS PARTNERSHIP: ‘The bottom line’ is that if the US were to have a conflict with China or Russia it would likely open up a second front with the other, a US senator said Beijing and Moscow could cooperate in a conflict over Taiwan, the top US intelligence chief told the US Senate this week. “We see China and Russia, for the first time, exercising together in relation to Taiwan and recognizing that this is a place where China definitely wants Russia to be working with them, and we see no reason why they wouldn’t,” US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told a US Senate Committee on Armed Services hearing on Thursday. US Senator Mike Rounds asked Haines about such a potential scenario. He also asked US Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lieutenant General Jeffrey Kruse
INSPIRING: Taiwan has been a model in the Asia-Pacific region with its democratic transition, free and fair elections and open society, the vice president-elect said Taiwan can play a leadership role in the Asia-Pacific region, vice president-elect Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) told a forum in Taipei yesterday, highlighting the nation’s resilience in the face of geopolitical challenges. “Not only can Taiwan help, but Taiwan can lead ... not only can Taiwan play a leadership role, but Taiwan’s leadership is important to the world,” Hsiao told the annual forum hosted by the Center for Asia-Pacific Resilience and Innovation think tank. Hsiao thanked Taiwan’s international friends for their long-term support, citing the example of US President Joe Biden last month signing into law a bill to provide aid to Taiwan,
China’s intrusive and territorial claims in the Indo-Pacific region are “illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive,” new US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo said on Friday, adding that he would continue working with allies and partners to keep the area free and open. Paparo made the remarks at a change-of-command ceremony at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii, where he took over the command from Admiral John Aquilino. “Our world faces a complex problem set in the troubling actions of the People’s Republic of China [PRC] and its rapid buildup of forces. We must be ready to answer the PRC’s increasingly intrusive and
STATE OF THE NATION: The legislature should invite the president to deliver an address every year, the TPP said, adding that Lai should also have to answer legislators’ questions The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday proposed inviting president-elect William Lai (賴清德) to make a historic first state of the nation address at the legislature following his inauguration on May 20. Lai is expected to face many domestic and international challenges, and should clarify his intended policies with the public’s representatives, KMT caucus secretary-general Hung Meng-kai (洪孟楷) said when making the proposal at a meeting of the legislature’s Procedure Committee. The committee voted to add the item to the agenda for Friday, along with another similar proposal put forward by the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP). The invitation is in line with Article 15-2