The US informed Taiwanese officials in an official cable that the cooperative handling of Beijing's "Anti-Secession" Law was "working perfectly," an authoritative source revealed yesterday.
A debriefing of US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's recent visit to China, cabled to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US, affirmed Taiwan's response to Beijing's legislation, the source said.
Without quoting the specific wording of the statement, the official indicated that the telegraph conveyed that "Taiwan had won this round," referring to Taiwan's international image and responsible handling of its response to the law.
The Anti-Secession Law authorizes the use of "non-peaceful means and other necessary measures" against Taiwan.
It was also revealed yesterday that Rice and a high-level Chinese official had a harsh exchange on the topic of the Taiwan Strait crisis, and that the US had made clear its stance without yielding.
"There are many issues to be worked out between the US and China, but the US did not sacrifice Taiwan because of these issues," the source said of Rice's trip to Beijing.
"The US is very strongly opposed to the use of non-peaceful means to resolve the matter," the source said.
The source also ruled out recent media speculation that Beijing might yield on Taiwan's efforts to participate in the World Health Organization.
"China's unyielding stance on the matter of [Taiwan's] arms procurement [from the US] and Taiwan's participation in international organizations left the US with a bad impression," the source said.
The source made it clear that the US felt its coordination with Taiwan could continue and that Washington was not particularly concerned about today's rally in Taipei against the Chinese law.
"They asked about it, but it's not of the utmost priority," the official said, indicating that the US was not concerned about President Chen Shui-bian's [陳水扁] participation in the rally.
"They [US] have not asked who will be participating," the source said.
In addition, Japan has also made clear its disapproval of China's new law, the source said, indicating that high-level Japanese officials had called senior Chinese foreign ministry officials to express "strong opposition" to the legislation.
Earlier in the day, Mainland Affairs Council Chairman Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) also made his disapproval of the law clear, warning that unless Beijing showed respect for Taiwan's democracy "there is no chance for cross-strait relations to go in a positive direction in the short term."
"We ask humbly for [the respect of] two fundamental values: one is peace, the other democracy," Wu said.
"We are angry and we're not going to budge if China limits our freedom of expression," Wu said, urging Beijing to take a "serious look" at today's protest.
For the first time, Wu indicated that he would be participating in today's rally.
Wu also said that in order to better understand Taiwan, it would behoove Beijing to lift its travel bans on members of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU).
"If China allows the DPP, or the TSU -- people who stand on the opposite side of what they want Taiwan to be -- to visit China, then that would be the first line to understanding Taiwan," Wu said.
Council Vice Chairman Chiu Tai-san (
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
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
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
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
RSS