A senior advisor to the National Security Council recently advocated that Taiwan seek a more positive role in the Asia-Pacific region as the new US government wants to pursue an alliance with Japan as its new Asia strategy.
"A US-Japan alliance would provide a stable international environment conducive to Taiwan's domestic development and its regional participation," said senior advisor to the council Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍).
"Improvements in the US-Japan alliance serve Taiwan's national interest both for security and economic reasons," Lin said at a recent international forum in Japan on issues surrounding US-Japan-Taiwan security.
Lin's remarks, as one of the five NSC advisors specializing in foreign affairs, also reflects the opinion of some in the council.
In a paper titled The Impact of the US' Asia Policy on Taiwan, Lin made a comparison between the former Bill Clinton administration's "Eurocentric" foreign policy and the current George W. Bush administration's policy, saying Bush is paying serious attention to post-Cold War Asia-Pacific security.
The paper is yet to be publicly released.
This new approach abandons the notion that China is America's "strategic partner" and instead re-emphasizes the US-Japan alliance as the linchpin of its Asia policy, Lin pointed out.
Lin said that the US initiative and reaction from other Asian countries is having a significant impact on Taiwan's domestic political environment and foreign policy decisions.
"Now is one of the best periods for US-Taiwan relations in the past 20 years," Lin said. He said that a strong US-Japan alliance will not only deter China if it opts to use force against Taiwan but can also stabilize the Asia-Pacific region as a whole.
"Taiwan's overseas investments can benefit greatly from a predictable international environment provided by the US-Japan alliance," Lin said.
"The priority of Taiwan's external relations relies on establishing close relations with the US and Japan, working with them to keep the sea lanes and continental markets as free and open as possible," he added.
Lin said that Taiwan needs a stable external environment to consolidate its democracy, to transform its stagnant economy and to survive the challenges of globalization.
"Believing that a strong US-Japan alliance provides the common good for Taiwanese development and regional stability, Taiwan envisions itself to be proactive in strengthening US-Japan relations and to help to democratize China," Lin said.
"The net result will depend on others' perception of this policy initiative: Are they ready to accept Taiwan as part of the solution to regional problems, or to continue to see Taiwan as a problem to be managed?" he said.
Lin said that President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) has called for increased cooperation between Taiwan, the US and Japan on the issue of security in the Taiwan Strait, as well as more military communication for confidence-building purposes.
"Representative Lo Fu-chen (羅福全), Taiwan's unofficial ambassador to Japan, also specifically stated that Taiwan is willing to play a larger and positive role to help enhance the US-Japan alliance," Lin said.
"The recognition of coordinating Taiwan-US-Japan relations has led to various efforts to develop a second track of strategic dialogues between the three countries.
"Moreover, Taiwan-Japan and Taiwan-US relations are also beginning to be viewed and conducted within this context," Lin said.
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