The US on Thursday reiterated its obligations stipulated in the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) and its commitment to ensure that Taiwan has the ability to defend itself and be free from coercion or intimidation.
US Department of State spokesman John Kirby made the remarks in a daily press briefing after being asked about the status of the US security commitment to Taiwan.
A meeting between China’s Taiwan Affairs Office Minister Zhang Zhijun (張志軍), US Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel in the US that same day drew media attention, as Taiwan is set to hold a presidential election in January next year and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is scheduled to visit the US next month.
Kirby declined to comment on whether the Taiwanese election was among the topics being discussed.
However, he gave a straight “no” when asked if it is time for the US to review its policy on Taiwan and if there have been any discussions at the Department of State regarding that.
Kirby was also asked if he shared the observation espoused in a recent article published in The Diplomat magazine that says: “US defense planners cannot help but wonder if the DPP [Democratic Progressive Party] will seek to entrap the United States in a cross-Taiwan Strait crisis in an effort to achieve its dreams of independence from China.”
DPP presidential candidate and Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) is leading Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) in opinion polls.
The Diplomat said that Tsai “has done little to assuage such fears.”
On the cross-strait issue, Kirby said: “We remain committed to fulfilling our responsibilities under the Taiwan Relations Act.”
“Key priorities with Taiwan include ensuring it has the ability to defend itself, and remains free from coercion or intimidation. When free from coercion, Taiwan has increasingly engaged China with confidence. That’s our position on it,” Kirby said.
The brilliant blue waters, thick foliage and bucolic atmosphere on this seemingly idyllic archipelago deep in the Pacific Ocean belie the key role it now plays in a titanic geopolitical struggle. Palau is again on the front line as China, and the US and its allies prepare their forces in an intensifying contest for control over the Asia-Pacific region. The democratic nation of just 17,000 people hosts US-controlled airstrips and soon-to-be-completed radar installations that the US military describes as “critical” to monitoring vast swathes of water and airspace. It is also a key piece of the second island chain, a string of
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake that struck about 33km off the coast of Hualien City was the "main shock" in a series of quakes in the area, with aftershocks expected over the next three days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Prior to the magnitude 5.9 quake shaking most of Taiwan at 6:53pm yesterday, six other earthquakes stronger than a magnitude of 4, starting with a magnitude 5.5 quake at 6:09pm, occurred in the area. CWA Seismological Center Director Wu Chien-fu (吳健富) confirmed that the quakes were all part of the same series and that the magnitude 5.5 temblor was
The Central Weather Administration has issued a heat alert for southeastern Taiwan, warning of temperatures as high as 36°C today, while alerting some coastal areas of strong winds later in the day. Kaohsiung’s Neimen District (內門) and Pingtung County’s Neipu Township (內埔) are under an orange heat alert, which warns of temperatures as high as 36°C for three consecutive days, the CWA said, citing southwest winds. The heat would also extend to Tainan’s Nansi (楠西) and Yujing (玉井) districts, as well as Pingtung’s Gaoshu (高樹), Yanpu (鹽埔) and Majia (瑪家) townships, it said, forecasting highs of up to 36°C in those areas
IN FULL SWING: Recall drives against lawmakers in Hualien, Taoyuan and Hsinchu have reached the second-stage threshold, the campaigners said Campaigners in a recall petition against Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Yen Kuan-heng (顏寬恒) in Taichung yesterday said their signature target is within sight, and that they need a big push to collect about 500 more signatures from locals to reach the second-stage threshold. Recall campaigns against KMT lawmakers Johnny Chiang (江啟臣), Yang Chiung-ying (楊瓊瓔) and Lo Ting-wei (羅廷瑋) are also close to the 10 percent threshold, and campaigners are mounting a final push this week. They need about 800 signatures against Chiang and about 2,000 against Yang. Campaigners seeking to recall Lo said they had reached the threshold figure over the
RSS