Ahead of former US President Ronald Reagan's state funeral in Washington today, government officials, diplomats and the people of Taiwan paid respects to the Taiwan-friendly US leader by signing a book of condolences provided by the American Cultural Center in Taipei yesterday.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement praising Reagan's long-time support for Taiwan's democracy.
"Mr. Reagan was a firm friend of all democracies. Our government and people deeply regret the passing away of the former US president," the statement said. "President Chen Shui-bian (
The ministry has decided to send Control Yuan President Frederick Chien (
"Chien has a close relationship with the US and had opportunities to meet Reagan on many occasions. He is the right person to represent Taiwan to join Reagan's funeral," Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Michael Kau said after signing the book of condolences.
Chien and his wife departed for Washington yesterday afternoon.
Chen Chien-jen (
Kau described the "Six Assurances," which the Reagan administration gave Taipei in July 1982, as one of the most important milestones in Taiwan-US relations.
In the Six Assurances, the Reagan administration promised Taiwan that it would not set a date for the ending of arms sales to Taiwan; not consult with China on arms sales; not play a mediation role between the People's Republic of China (PRC) and Taiwan; not revise the Taiwan Relations Act; change its position regarding sovereignty over Taiwan; nor exert pressure on Taipei to enter into negotiations with Beijing.
The Six Assurances came as the Reagan administration's efforts to soften the blow to Taiwan after the US and China signed the 817 Communique, which called for a reduction of US arms sales to Taiwan.
Judith Mudd-Krijgelmans, spokesperson for the American Institute in Taiwan, thanked Kau for the ministry's condolence.
"We will always remember the `Great Communicator,' especially for his support for US public diplomacy," Judith wrote in the book of condolences of her memory of the victor of the Cold War, one of whose most famous quotes is "the march of freedom and democracy will leave Marxism-Leninism on the ash heap of history."
Reagan visited Taiwan twice during the 1970s. On Oct. 9, 1971, Reagan, then the governor of California, arrived at Taipei as former US President Richard Nixon's special representative to attend the Republic of China's (ROC) National Day celebrations on Oct. 10.
Reagan, accompanied by his wife. Nancy Reagan, said upon arrival in Taipei that he carried a message of good will from Nixon to Chiang Kai-shek (
In 1978, one year before the US switched recognition from Taipei to Beijing, Reagan again visited Taipei by invitation of Koo Chen-fu (辜振甫), now chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation, to deliver a speech at a conference hosted by the Sino-American Cultural and Economic Association.
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
MORE FALL: An investigation into one of Xi’s key cronies, part of a broader ‘anti-corruption’ drive, indicates that he might have a deep distrust in the military, an expert said China’s latest military purge underscores systemic risks in its shift from collective leadership to sole rule under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), and could disrupt its chain of command and military capabilities, a national security official said yesterday. If decisionmaking within the Chinese Communist Party has become “irrational” under one-man rule, the Taiwan Strait and the regional situation must be approached with extreme caution, given unforeseen risks, they added. The anonymous official made the remarks as China’s Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia (張又俠) and Joint Staff Department Chief of Staff Liu Zhenli (劉振立) were reportedly being investigated for suspected “serious
Taiwanese and US defense groups are collaborating to introduce deployable, semi-autonomous manufacturing systems for drones and components in a boost to the nation’s supply chain resilience. Taiwan’s G-Tech Optroelectronics Corp subsidiary GTOC and the US’ Aerkomm Inc on Friday announced an agreement with fellow US-based Firestorm Lab to adopt the latter’s xCell, a technology featuring 3D printers fitted in 6.1m container units. The systems enable aerial platforms and parts to be produced in high volumes from dispersed nodes capable of rapid redeployment, to minimize the risk of enemy strikes and to meet field requirements, they said. Firestorm chief technology officer Ian Muceus said
RSS