The Pentagon has named Abraham Denmark — an Asia expert with a strong record of support for Taiwan — as US deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia.
The position makes him a key adviser to US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter and US President Barack Obama on questions involving Taiwan and China.
Denmark supports Taiwan’s entry into the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), wants to expand the nation’s international space and is in favor of boosting Taiwan’s defensive strength.
He had been serving as senior vice president of political and security affairs and external relations for the National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR).
At the US Department of Defense, he is to replace US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia David Helvey, who has been less vocal on Taiwan issues.
Before joining the NBR, Denmark served in the Pentagon as country director for China affairs.
“I can say wholeheartedly that Denmark has the skills and knowledge to be a key player in modernizing US alliances and partnerships in East Asia,” former commander of US forces in the Pacific Admiral Dennis Blair said.
In testimony before a US Senate subcommittee last year, Denmark said that Taiwan’s “open politics and its exuberant democracy” were remarkable.
He said that despite significant warming in relations between Taipei and Beijing, China continued to refuse to renounce the use of force to compel unification.
Denmark said that entry into the TPP trade agreement would encourage Taipei to liberalize its economy and have “tremendous benefits” for the nation in the long term.
He said that Washington should work with Taipei and Beijing, as well as other members of major institutions, to identify more opportunities for Taiwan to play a constructive role in organizations where issues of sovereignty do not apply.
“On security issues, the US and Taiwan should continue to work closely with one another to enhance Taiwan’s ability to defend itself,” Denmark said. “Taiwan’s recent decision to pursue an indigenous submarine capability is a positive development, and American strategists and naval experts should work closely with their counterparts in Taiwan to identify the capabilities necessary to enhance Taiwan’s self-defense.”
Denmark added that Taiwan’s “flat” defense budget was a persistent problem and that it must be addressed.
He also said that Taiwan should clarify whether its claims in the South China Sea are consistent with international law.
The US had a “profound interest” in enhancing Taiwan’s ability to defend itself, he said.
Earlier, Denmark and NBR project manager Tiffany Ma published an article online criticizing proposals from China and some US academics that the US stop selling arms to Taiwan.
“Washington has robust reasons to stand firm on its commitments to Taiwan,” they said.
The nation has continuing importance in a broad set of US interests in Asia and is a reliable friend, they added.
“Buckling to pressure from Beijing would not only lose Washington a valuable partner in its rebalancing efforts, but also heighten concerns among other US allies and friends of being sidelined for China, and even affirm a perception of US appeasement to Chinese demands,” they wrote. “The answer to the challenge of maintaining a positive relationship with Beijing is not to sacrifice a stalwart, democratic friend. Rather, both Washington and Beijing must find ways to cooperate on issues of mutual interest and when possible avoid competitive or confrontational issues within the context of America’s ongoing relations with Taiwan.”
SPEEDING ELETRIC VEHICLES: Available without license requirements, the low-cost vehicles, especially if illicitly modified, can often reach a dangerous speed The government should crack down on illegal electric bicycles and scooters, the non-profit Consumers’ Foundation said on Friday, citing research on the potentially dangerous speed of the vehicles. Electric bicycles and lightweight electric scooters have gained popularity as they do not require registration and riders do not need licenses, the foundation said, adding that as many as 40 percent of them can reach speeds exceeding the legal limit of 25kph for non-licensed two-wheelers. Some consumers also purchased legal electric vehicles and modified them to reach higher speeds, it said. “If the government does not step up efforts to confiscate these
DIPLOMATIC MOVES: Beijing is reportedly pressing the state after reports of forming links with Taiwan, while the ministry is also planning to reopen its office in Guam soon A representative office is set to open in Somaliland at the end of this month, at the earliest, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday amid reports that Beijing is sending a diplomatic delegation to the east African country. The ministry on July 1 announced that Taiwan and Somaliland would establish representative offices, following a report by the Somaliland Chronicle Web site. It said at the time that the two nations did not plan to establish formal ties. Somaliland President Muse Bihi Abdi has instructed close confidants to explore the possibility of “mutual recognition between Taiwan and Somaliland,” the Somaliland Chronicle reported
‘IMMORAL, INSINCERE’: Huang Kun-huei said that Ma was ‘distorting history’ in claiming that Lee Teng-hui laid the foundation for the so-called ‘1992 consensus’ Former Presidential Office secretary-general Huang Kun-huei (黃昆輝) on Saturday rejected former president Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) claim that former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) had been a proponent of Beijing’s “one China” principle. Lee, who served as president from 1988 to 2000, died in Taipei on Thursday last week. After visiting the Taipei Guest House on Saturday to pay his respects to Lee, Ma posted on Facebook that “28 years ago on this day” Lee hosted a session of the now-defunct National Unification Council, during which he passed a resolution on the “one China” principle. That resolution became the basis of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s
A Belgian man who tested positive for COVID-19 in Taiwan last week is likely to have contracted the disease in Taipei in late June, National Taiwan University (NTU) College of Public Health vice dean Tony Chen (陳秀熙) said yesterday. The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on Saturday reported that the man, who is in his 20s, came to Taiwan for work on May 3 and tested positive on Wednesday last week as he was about to depart. The man in March reported loss of taste and smell, the center said, adding that he worked in Changhua County, but visited Taipei several times,
RSS