Representative to the US King Pu-tsung (金溥聰) said on Monday that Washington’s stance toward Taiwan remains unchanged following US President Barack Obama’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) this month.
King said the US remains committed to providing Taiwan with defensive weapons as stipulated in the Taiwan Relations Act, enacted in 1979 when Washington and Taipei severed diplomatic ties.
According to a briefing on the meeting by US officials, the Chinese side raised the issue of Taiwan as it often does, King said. However, the US stance on the matter was firm, and Obama stated clearly from the beginning that the US would provide Taiwan with defensive weapons where necessary.
Photo: CNA
The US also said it was happy to see the two sides of the Taiwan Strait continue to engage in peaceful dialogue and move toward mutually beneficial development. It also hoped that the Taiwan issue could be decided by both sides, especially by the 23 million people on Taiwan, King said. He said the most important aspect of the summit was that it did not change Washington’s stance on Taiwan.
King was also asked about China’s advocacy of building “a new model of major country relationship” with the US.
“As long as it does not undermine the interests of the Republic of China, we are happy to see them further develop better relations,” King said on the sidelines of a ceremony at which Taiwan and Maryland agreed to mutually recognize each other’s driver’s licenses.
Effective immediately, Taiwanese license holders who have legal resident status in Maryland can obtain a Maryland driver’s license without taking the requisite tests. Americans who have a Maryland driver’s license can enjoy reciprocal treatment in Taiwan.
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
Trips for more than 100,000 international and domestic air travelers could be disrupted as China launches a military exercise around Taiwan today, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said yesterday. The exercise could affect nearly 900 flights scheduled to enter the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) during the exercise window, it added. A notice issued by the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration showed there would be seven temporary zones around the Taiwan Strait which would be used for live-fire exercises, lasting from 8am to 6pm today. All aircraft are prohibited from entering during exercise, it says. Taipei FIR has 14 international air routes and
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
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