Taiwan would like the US' assistance in launching security dialogues with Asia-Pacific countries such as Japan, Deputy Minister of National Defense Ko Cheng-heng (柯承亨) said in Annapolis, Maryland, on Tuesday.
Ko, who led a Taiwanese delegation at the sixth annual US-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference, made the remarks at a press conference before the close of the two-day event.
China is using military intimidation to prevent Taiwan from declaring de jure independence and hindering its efforts to develop a security dialogue with other countries in the Asia-Pacific region, Ko said.
As a result, Taiwan needs US assistance to open channels for dialogue with other Asia-Pacific countries on defense strategies and military exchanges, Ko told the conference.
Asked whether the US opposition to Taiwan's plan to hold a referendum on its bid to join the United Nations under the name "Taiwan" had affected military exchanges between the two countries, Ko said he had not noticed any changes.
"We share a strong consensus that military exchanges and cooperation should not be affected by political and electoral issues," Ko said, adding that the two countries had multi-layer dialogue channels for defense matters.
What the two sides still lack are high-level direct channels for dialogue on political issues, Ko said.
He said the two sides should establish a hotline for direct high-level communications in the event of an emergency in the Taiwan Strait.
Ko also took the occasion to clarify the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration's defense policy after Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Su Chi (
Denying that the administration had adopted such a strategy, Ko said that the DPP had inherited the KMT administration's defense plan, adding that it had not made any changes to the nation's defense strategy.
"We have consistently upheld a defensive strategy with the establishment of an elite deterrent force as our defense policy," Ko said.
As for the nation's plan to purchase F-16 C/D fighter aircraft from the US, Ko said Washington had not yet reached a decision on the matter.
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS