A former senior official in US President Barack Obama’s administration yesterday downplayed arguments in favor of “abandoning Taipei” in Washington as he highlighted the importance of the US’ commitment to Taiwan’s security.
Taiwan’s security is important for multiple reasons, because “Taiwan should not be compelled to a status against the wishes of its people” and the use of force against Taiwan by China would have “profound negative impacts” in the region, Jeffrey Bader, former senior director for East Asian Affairs on the US National Security Council (NSC), said in a speech titled: “Obama’s Asia Policy” at an event held by the Taipei Forum Foundation in Taipei yesterday.
In response to a question from the audience for comment on “a school of thought” that suggested Washington should abandon Taipei in return for a better relationship with Beijing, Bader said he would call the idea of abandoning Taiwan like something from a “kids’ playground” rather than something learned at “school.”
Photo: CNA
“There is a pretty strong consensus” in Washington “about the importance of Taiwan — democracy, stability and the peaceful resolution [of cross-strait differences],” said Bader, who added that his view significantly reflected those of his former colleges in the NSC and the US Department of State.
The question of abandoning Taiwan is “unthinkable,” he said.
Bader said Taiwan has demonstrated it is free and democratic.
“It would be completely contrary to US principles to accept the notion that free people be forced to accept a status that is not their choice,” he said.
It is embodied in US law and the US-China joint communiques that Washington help ensure a peaceful resolution of the Taiwan issue, Bader said.
“Peaceful resolution means no resolution can be imposed upon the people of Taiwan contrary to their wishes,” he said.
The arguments calling for the US to abandon Taiwan would also have profoundly negative impacts on the security of the region as it would “send a resounding signal” to Japan about the nature of China’s rise and about the balance of forces in the region, he said.
“We [the US] spent 67 years establishing our presence in the region with the goal of protecting stability, freedom and prosperity. You can’t simply remove a gigantic brick or cornerstone ... and expect security and stability will survive,” he said.
Bader said the notion of abandoning Taiwan was occasionally seen in newspaper articles “by people I have never heard of.”
“The nice thing in a free country is that anyone can say anything, and they usually do,” he said.
US President Donald Trump said "it’s up to" Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) what China does on Taiwan, but that he would be "very unhappy" with a change in the "status quo," the New York Times said in an interview published yesterday. Xi "considers it to be a part of China, and that’s up to him what he’s going to be doing," Trump told the newspaper on Wednesday. "But I’ve expressed to him that I would be very unhappy if he did that, and I don’t think he’ll do that," he added. "I hope he doesn’t do that." Trump made the comments in
NOT AN OPENING: Trump’s violation of international law does not affect China’s consideration in attacking Taiwan; Beijing lacks capability, not precedent, an official said Taiwanese officials see the US’ capture of the president of Venezuela as a powerful deterrent to Beijing’s aggression and a timely reminder of the US’ ability to defeat militaries equipped with Chinese-made weapons. The strikes that toppled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro signaled to authoritarian leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), US President Donald Trump’s willingness to use military might for international affairs core to US interests, one senior official in Taipei’s security circle said. That reassured Taiwan, the person said. Taipei has also dismissed the idea that Trump’s apparent violation of international law could embolden Beijing, said the official, who was not
A cold surge advisory was today issued for 18 cities and counties across Taiwan, with temperatures of below 10°C forecast during the day and into tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. New Taipei City, Taipei, Taoyuan and Hsinchu, Miaoli and Yilan counties are expected to experience sustained temperatures of 10°C or lower, the CWA said. Temperatures are likely to temporarily drop below 10°C in most other areas, except Taitung, Pingtung, Penghu and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties, CWA data showed. The cold weather is being caused by a strong continental cold air mass, combined with radiative cooling, a process in which heat escapes from
Snow this morning fell on Alishan for the first time in seven years, as a strong continental cold air mass sent temperatures plunging across Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The Alishan weather station, located at an elevation of about 2,200m in central Taiwan, recorded snowfall from 8:55am to 9:15am, when the temperature dropped to about 1°C, the CWA said. With increased moisture and low temperatures in the high-altitude Alishan area, the conditions were favorable for snow, CWA forecaster Tsai Yi-chi (蔡伊其) said. The last time snow fell at the Alishan weather station was on Jan. 10, 2018, while graupel fell there
RSS