The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday denied charges by a former US official that Taiwan’s China-leaning policy was steering it away from the ranks of world democracies and that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) did not have a US policy.
A report in the Taipei Times on Friday cited former US diplomat John Tkacik as testifying at a US congressional hearing that Taiwan is “moving out of the column of the community of democracies” and now “basically agrees” that it is part of China.
Tkacik also said the Ma administration had a very clear China policy, but not a US policy.
KMT spokesman Yin Wei (殷瑋) said Tkacik was wrong on both counts, calling his comments groundless and not factual.
The Ma administration’s China policy is clearly based on the principles of “no unification, no independence and no use of force” and a cross-strait understanding that there is only “one China,” with each side free to interpret what that is, Yin said.
The “one China,” Yin said, refers to the Republic of China and there is no alternative explanation.
Therefore, how can it be that “Taiwan is part of mainland China?” Yin asked.
On Tkacik’s charge that Taiwan is moving away from the community of democracies and that Ma has adopted a policy of “accommodating” Beijing, Yin said the 16 cross-strait agreements signed since Ma took office in 2008 were made in the interests of Taiwan.
He pointed to Ma’s re-election in January as clear evidence of support for the agreements.
Addressing the accusation that the Ma administration had a China policy, but not a US policy, Yin said former US president George W. Bush and US President Barack Obama have repeatedly recognized improved ties between Taiwan and China, with Obama praising the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement signed between Taiwan and China in June 2010.
Moreover, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton last year said that Taiwan was an important security and economic partner of the US, and American Institute in Taiwan Chairman Raymond Burghardt praised Ma in February for improving US-Taiwan relations during his first term, Yin said.
Taiwan’s US policy is further reflected by US$18.3 billion in arms sales offered to Taiwan, visits by senior US officials and the ongoing evaluation of Taiwan’s bid to join the US visa-waiver program, Yin said, adding that US-Taiwan ties were at their best in 60 years.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
About 4.2 million tourist arrivals were recorded in the first half of this year, a 10 percent increase from the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. The growth continues to be consistent, with the fourth quarter of this year expected to be the peak in Taiwan, the agency said, adding that it plans to promote Taiwan overseas via partnerships and major events. From January to June, 9.14 million international departures were recorded from Taiwan, an 11 percent increase from the same period last year, with 3.3 million headed for Japan, 1.52 million for China and 832,962 to South Korea,
RSS