The government is seeking to allay US concerns about its policies, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mark Chen (
Chen was commenting on Presidential Office Secretary-General Chiou I-jen's (邱義仁) visit to the US.
Chen said it was very important to rebuild mutual trust between Taiwan and the US and that the government would keep in close contact with the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT).
Chen said that both the US and China were paying close attention to preparations for President Chen Shui-bian's (
Chiou, who arrived in Washington on Monday, met with senior US officials, reportedly including Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage.
Mark Chen said he did not know whom Chiou would be meeting in Washington nor what he planned to talk about there.
"I knew about his visit after reading the newspapers. I will ask him about the details of the trip after he comes back," he said.
On Monday, AIT Deputy Director David Keegan warned Taiwan not to change the cross-strait status quo, adding that the US was looking to Chen Shui-bian for "responsible, democratic and restrained leadership" during a symposium on the Taiwan Relations Act held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Francisco Hwang (黃瀧元) stood in for Mark Chen at the symposium. Mark Chen said he did not appear at the symposium because AIT Director Douglas Paal did not attend.
Without explaining why Paal could not attend the symposium, Mark Chen said that Keegan's comments were mostly identical to those of US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia James Kelly on Taiwan during a hearing of the US House of Representatives' International Relations Committee last week.
Both Kelly and Keegan warned Taiwan against moving towards independence.
Mark Chen said Taiwan had to be careful not to hurt US interests while looking after its own.
He noted that one of his utmost duties was to safeguard Taiwan's security.
Chen was speaking during a visit to the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center in Tainan. Chen was attending at the invitation of center director Thomas Lumpkin.
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Hualien Branch of the High Court today sentenced the main suspect in the 2021 fatal derailment of the Taroko Express to 12 years and six months in jail in the second trial of the suspect for his role in Taiwan’s deadliest train crash. Lee Yi-hsiang (李義祥), the driver of a crane truck that fell onto the tracks and which the the Taiwan Railways Administration's (TRA) train crashed into in an accident that killed 49 people and injured 200, was sentenced to seven years and 10 months in the first trial by the Hualien District Court in 2022. Hoa Van Hao, a
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
RSS