The US' top military officer yesterday said that China had built up a "very large" missile arsenal opposite Taiwan and cautioned that Washington was committed to helping the nation defend itself.
"The US is committed to helping Taiwan maintain its ability to resist the use of force or coercion to solve this problem," Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Richard Myers told journalists as he wrapped up a two-day visit to China, during which he met the country's top military brass.
"And it is not just a one-sided issue," he said when questioned by Chinese journalists on US arms sales to Taipei.
"In fact, if you look at the build-up on the Chinese mainland side of the [Taiwan] Strait in terms of surface-to-surface missiles, you would see a very large build-up. And China continues to build up its capability opposite Taiwan.
"Our responsibility under the Taiwan Relations Act is to assist Taiwan in its ability to defend itself. Again, so there will be a peaceful resolution to the problem and no temptation to use force," he said.
President Chen Shui-bian (
Chen hopes the referendum will send Beijing a clear message that the nation is unhappy about the hundreds of ballistic missiles deployed against it.
Last month, US President George W. Bush publicly rebuked Chen's plan and Myers repeated the stance yesterday, but also warned China the US would not stand by if it used force.
"President Bush could not have been clearer when he was speaking to Premier Wen [Jiabao (溫家寶)] that the US will resist any attempts to use coercion to solve the problem between China and Taiwan," Myers said.
"Again, I think all three parties in this case understand that very thoroughly," he said.
Meanwhile, State Department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli said on Wednesday that one of the reasons ties between the US and Taiwan were so close was that democracy continued to flourish in Taiwan.
Addressing foreign correspondents at the New York Foreign Press Center, Ereli said the US-Taiwan relationship was marked by a couple of constants, including US "appreciation for and support of Taiwan's democracy and democratic development."
He added that Bush "has been very clear and uncompromising on the issue of Taiwan's security and our commitment to that."
Ereli said the US believes that "the way to solve cross-strait tensions in the Taiwan Strait is through a cross-strait dialogue rather than statements here and statements there."
Stressing that the US government was taking very seriously the commitments made by Chen in his inaugural speech, Ereli said the US opposed any attempt by either Taiwan or China to unilaterally change the status quo.
"In that regard, we would be opposed to any [referendum] that would change Taiwan's status and move toward independence," he added.
China has reserved offshore airspace in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea from March 27 to May 6, issuing alerts usually used to warn of military exercises, although no such exercises have been announced, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported yesterday. Reserving such a large area for 40 days without explanation is an “unusual step,” as military exercises normally only last a few days, the paper said. These alerts, known as Notice to Air Missions (Notams), “are intended to inform pilots and aviation authorities of temporary airspace hazards or restrictions,” the article said. The airspace reserved in the alert is
More than 6,000 Taiwanese students have participated in exchange programs in China over the past two years, despite the Mainland Affairs Council’s (MAC) “orange light” travel advisory, government records showed. The MAC’s publicly available registry showed that Taiwanese college and university students who went on exchange programs across the Strait numbered 3,592 and 2,966 people respectively. The National Immigration Agency data revealed that 2,296 and 2,551 Chinese students visited Taiwan for study in the same two years. A review of the Web sites of publicly-run universities and colleges showed that Taiwanese higher education institutions continued to recruit students for Chinese educational programs without
A bipartisan group of US senators has introduced a bill to enhance cooperation with Taiwan on drone development and to reduce reliance on supply chains linked to China. The proposed Blue Skies for Taiwan Act of 2026 was introduced by Republican US senators Ted Cruz and John Curtis, and Democratic US senators Jeff Merkley and Andy Kim. The legislation seeks to ease constraints on Taiwan-US cooperation in uncrewed aerial systems (UAS), including dependence on China-sourced components, limited access to capital and regulatory barriers under US export controls, a news release issued by Cruz on Wednesday said. The bill would establish a "Blue UAS
The Republic of China Army Command yesterday relieved Kinmen Defense Battalion commander after authorities indicted the officer on charges connected to using methamphetamine. The Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Wednesday detained Colonel He (何) after the Coast Guard linked him to drug shipments and proceeded to charge him yesterday for using and possessing crystal meth. The man was released on a NT$50,000 bail and banned from leaving Kinmen, the office said. Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Chen Chien-yi (陳建義) told a news conference yesterday that He has been removed and another officer is taking over the unit as the acting commander. The military
RSS