President Chen Shui-bian (
"We are committed to safeguarding national security and strengthening defense capabilities," Chen said. "We will not force the US government to shoulder the responsibility of maintaining peace, security and stability in the Taiwan Strait."
Chen made the remarks yesterday morning while receiving a delegation led by US Congressman Lincoln Davis at the Presidential Office.
Pledges
Chen gave assurances that the pledges and commitments he made over the years to the US government and the Bush administration still held.
Chen thanked the US government -- especially the Bush administration -- for its long-term support of Taiwan's democracy and contributions to protecting peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
Chen also extended his appreciation to the US Congress for its concern over cross-strait issues, including China's "Anti-Secession" Law and the EU's ban on arms sales to China. The arms embargo was imposed following the Chinese military crackdown on student protests in Tiananmen Square in 1989.
Representation
Despite the lack of official diplomatic ties between Taiwan and the US, Chen said he hoped the US government and Congress would continue to support Taiwan's bids to join international organizations, including the UN and the WHO.
"The collective representation of the 23 million people of Taiwan must be recognized," Chen said. "Health and disease prevention should transcend national boundaries and Taiwanese people's right to health must be respected."
While UN Resolution 2758 allows for the representation of China, it fails to address that of Taiwan. As it is the fundamental right of all nations to join the international body, Chen said Taiwanese should not be discriminated against or excluded.
Referring to the US-South Korea FTA, Chen called on the US to begin consultations on and ink a trade pact with Taiwan, as doing so would be in the interests of both countries.
Taiwan is the US' eighth-largest trading partner, while South Korea is the seventh.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it