The strength of Sino-US relations is vital to global peace and prosperity, The Economist said in its latest issue, adding that the US and other countries must at the same time “stand firmer” against Beijing’s whims and wants.
The international community should also demand that China bear its share of the responsibility on matters of global importance, the editorial said.
A decision by the administration of US President Barack Obama last week to sign off on the sale of US$6.4 billion in arms to Taiwan sparked a not-unexpected protest from Beijing, which suspended military contact as it did in 2008.
Yet this time around, Beijing seems to have taken its anger one step further by imposing sanctions on US arms companies Raytheon Co, Boeing Co, United Technologies and Lockheed Martin Corp, as well as threatening to withdraw its cooperation with the US on various causes, The Economist wrote.
“Those threats, if carried out, would damage China’s interests seriously, so its use of them suggests that it hopes it can persuade Mr Obama to buckle — if not on this sale then perhaps on Taiwan’s mooted future purchases of advanced jet-fighters,” it said.
While some say the arms sale is a perfect conduit for the US to show its muscle in the face of China’s growing power, other US politicians, such as Pat Buchanan, disagree.
In a recent blog entry, Buchanan wrote that “Taiwan is herself deepening her relationship with the mainland. Is it not time for us to cut the cord?”
The Economist article cited three trends as significant: China’s failure to woo the majority of Taiwanese into supporting “peaceful unification” despite the increase in cross-strait exchanges; Beijing’s increasing intolerance of being defied; and the West’s increasing sympathy for “decisive authoritarianism.”
To avert an imbalance in the Sino-US relationship, which has been called the most important bilateral relationship in the world, the international community must “stand firmer.”
“Beefing up the deterrent capacity of Taiwan, which China continues to threaten with hundreds of missiles, is in the interests of peace. Mr Obama should therefore proceed with the arms sales and European governments should back him,” the editorial said.
“If American companies, such as Boeing, lose Chinese custom for political reasons, European firms should not be allowed to supplant them,” it said.
Furthermore, the West must do a better job in forcing China to become a responsible stakeholder in global governance, it said.
“Too often China wants the power due a global giant while shrugging off the responsibilities, saying that it is still a poor country. It must be encouraged to play its part — for instance, on climate change, on Iran and by allowing its currency to appreciate,” it said.
Taiwan is to have nine extended holidays next year, led by a nine-day Lunar New Year break, the Cabinet announced yesterday. The nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year matches the length of this year’s holiday, which featured six extended holidays. The increase in extended holidays is due to the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays (紀念日及節日實施條例), which was passed early last month with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party. Under the new act, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is also a national holiday, and Labor Day would no longer be limited
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Costa Rica sent a group of intelligence officials to Taiwan for a short-term training program, the first time the Central American country has done so since the countries ended official diplomatic relations in 2007, a Costa Rican media outlet reported last week. Five officials from the Costa Rican Directorate of Intelligence and Security last month spent 23 days in Taipei undergoing a series of training sessions focused on national security, La Nacion reported on Friday, quoting unnamed sources. The Costa Rican government has not confirmed the report. The Chinese embassy in Costa Rica protested the news, saying in a statement issued the same
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
RSS