When US President Barack Obama visits Beijing later this month, he should insist that China dismantle the 1,600 missiles it has targeted at Taiwan, the Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA) said.
The group is appealing to Obama to “reaffirm America’s support for freedom, democracy and human rights in Taiwan.”
Obama is attending the APEC summit and is scheduled to hold private bilateral meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) at which Taiwan is thought certain to be discussed.
“We understand that in order to resolve many of the world’s major problems, the US needs to engage China, but the fact is that China has not acted as a responsible stakeholder,” FAPA president Mark Kao (高龍榮) wrote in a letter to the White House.
Kao said that China is causing increasing tension in the South China Sea and East China Sea, and through its mishandling of the democratic developments in Hong Kong.
“Against this background, we emphasize that ‘engagement’ should not be done at the expense of America’s core values: freedom, democracy and human rights, as exemplified by Taiwan,” Kao said.
FAPA, with 54 chapters across the US, has strong bipartisan support in the US Congress.
Kao says in the letter that the US president should remind the Chinese leadership that it is a “core interest” of the US that the future of Taiwan be resolved peacefully and with the express consent of the people of Taiwan.
Not only should Obama insist on the dismantling of the missiles, he should also urge Beijing to renounce the threat of use of force against Taiwan, Kao said.
To safeguard Taiwan and its future, the US needs to more fully embrace its freedom and democracy, Kao said.
“We believe this is the best way to maintain peace and stability in East Asia, and in the best interests of the US,” Kao said.
The letter said that for the past four decades, the US has clung to an outdated “one China” policy that has left Taiwan dangling in international isolation.
“Taiwan has transformed itself into a vibrant democracy and as we saw with the Sunflower movement this spring, the people of Taiwan don’t want to be pushed into an unwelcome embrace with China,” Kao said. “We therefore urge you to move towards a ‘One Taiwan, One China’ policy that warmly welcomes Taiwan as a full and equal member of the international community.”
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS