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Nation's position critical to global security: envoy

Taiwan has always been a strategic partner of the democratic world, Taipei's new representative to the UK said on Tuesday.

Edgar Lin (林俊義) said that as Taiwan's strategic position is of major significance in terms of global peace and security, the US is determined to defend this part of the world. He added that Japan also firmly believes that Taiwan's security is inextricably linked to Japan's security and that of other neighboring countries.

Lin made the remarks while addressing a welcome party held in his honor by the British-Taiwanese All-Party Parliamentary Group.

Lin, who assumed his post only two months ago, said that Beijing's recently enacted "Anti-Secession" Law, which authorizes the "use of non-peaceful means" against Taiwan in certain situations, has not only deprived the nation's 23 million people of their autonomous rights, it also threatens peace and security in East Asia and will eventually result in a "conflict of civilizations between the West and the East."

This "ill-intentioned" law, if coupled with a lifting of the EU ban on arms sales to China, which the union has been considering for the last several months, will undoubtedly accelerate China's military expansion, posing a huge threat to many countries in the world, Lin said.

The envoy expressed his appreciation to British parliamentarians for their support for Taiwan and his admiration for their far-reaching vision on cross-strait issues.

Lin also said that he was extremely pleased to hear British Secretary of Foreign Affairs Jack Straw on Monday voice his opposition to a lifting of the EU's arms embargo against China.

He said that Taiwan has been a sovereign, independent country for over five decades and that it is not a part of the People's Republic of China.

There is no such thing as the so-called "Taiwan issue," he said, adding that there is only a "China issue," since China insists on maintaining the option of force to annex Taiwan, which he said has caused cross-strait tensions to continue to escalate.

Lin added that he has noticed the British government has recently reiterated its stance that Taiwan's future should be resolved peacefully through dialogue, which he said he supports.

Formerly chairman of the Environmental Protection Administration and an ambassador to Gambia, Lin quoted a Chinese foreign affairs expert as saying recently that if China were to fail to secure Taiwan, it would never become a great maritime power. This indicates the Chinese military's ambitions regarding Taiwan, he said.

He said that the best option to prevent cross-strait conflicts from erupting is to speed up the democratization of Hong Kong and China, with democratic Taiwan working in concert with Western countries to maintain peace and security in East Asia and the rest of the world.

Speaking prior to Lin's speech, Lord Richard Faulkner of Worcester, vice chairman of the British-Taiwanese All-Party Parliamentary Group, said at the cocktail party that his group will continue to strongly voice support for Taiwan's bid to join the World Health Organization.

Faulkner criticized the EU for considering lifting its arms embargo against China before Beijing improves its human rights record, referring to it as "scandalous."
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