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.
TRAFFIC SAFETY RULES: A positive result in a drug test would result in a two-year license suspension for the driver and vehicle, and a fine of up to NT$180,000 The Ministry of Transportation and Communications is to authorize police to conduct roadside saliva tests by the end of the year to deter people from driving while under the influence of narcotics, it said yesterday. The ministry last month unveiled a draft of amended regulations governing traffic safety rules and penalties, which included provisions empowering police to conduct mandatory saliva tests on drivers. While currently rules authorize police to use oral fluid testing kits for signs of drug use, they do not establish penalties for noncompliance or operating procedures for officers to follow, the ministry said. The proposed changes to the regulations require
The Executive Yuan yesterday announced that registration for a one-time universal NT$10,000 cash handout to help people in Taiwan survive US tariffs and inflation would start on Nov. 5, with payouts available as early as Nov. 12. Who is eligible for the handout? Registered Taiwanese nationals are eligible, including those born in Taiwan before April 30 next year with a birth certificate. Non-registered nationals with residence permits, foreign permanent residents and foreign spouses of Taiwanese citizens with residence permits also qualify for the handouts. For people who meet the eligibility requirements, but passed away between yesterday and April 30 next year, surviving family members
The German city of Hamburg on Oct. 14 named a bridge “Kaohsiung-Brucke” after the Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung. The footbridge, formerly known as F566, is to the east of the Speicherstadt, the world’s largest warehouse district, and connects the Dar-es-Salaam-Platz to the Brooktorpromenade near the Port of Hamburg on the Elbe River. Timo Fischer, a Free Democratic Party member of the Hamburg-Mitte District Assembly, in May last year proposed the name change with support from members of the Social Democratic Party and the Christian Democratic Union. Kaohsiung and Hamburg in 1999 inked a sister city agreement, but despite more than a quarter-century of
China Airlines Ltd (CAL) yesterday morning joined SkyTeam’s Aviation Challenge for the fourth time, operating a demonstration flight for “net zero carbon emissions” from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Bangkok. The flight used sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at a ratio of up to 40 percent, the highest proportion CAL has achieved to date, the nation’s largest carrier said. Since April, SAF has become available to Taiwanese international carriers at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport), Kaohsiung International Airport and Taoyuan airport. In previous challenges, CAL operated “net zero carbon emission flights” to Singapore and Japan. At a ceremony at Taoyuan airport, China Airlines chief sustainability
RSS