A number of Republican politicians lauded the telephone call between President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and US president-elect Donald Trump as an important development in Taiwan-US relations.
The conversation on Friday was the first publicly reported call between a Taiwanese leader and a US president or president-elect since 1979, when Washington switched recognition from Taipei to Beijing.
US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific chairman Matt Salmon called the conversation “historic” and said a strong statement was made through the two leaders speaking.
“I commend Trump for reaching out to the democratically elected president of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen,” Salmon said in a statement. “America has always been a champion of democratic values and individual freedoms and I applaud the president-elect for making a strong statement in support of those values around the world.”
House Representative Ben Cardin said that Trump’s move demonstrated his promise toward the only democratic government body in ethnically Chinese-controlled territory, adding that US policy toward Taiwan is guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, according to which both nations maintain strong ties and protect the nation’s unique democracy.
Speaking to US media, House Republican Policy Committee Chairman Luke Messer said Trump’s action was bold.
Messer, who has visited Taiwan twice in recent years, said that anyone interested in Taiwan would know it is a democratic republic, calling Taiwan a “great trading partner of the US” and a country that respects freedom and the law.
“Plaudits to President-elect Trump for his historic phone call to Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen. Strong message to China. New day in Asia,” Republican Representative Pete King said on Twitter.
Separately, former American Institute in Taiwan chairman Richard Bush told CNN that the phone call was a major development, adding that Trump has not technically broken the non-formal relationship between Taipei and Washington, as he has not yet formally entered the White House.
Michael Pillsbury, who was a consultant to Trump on China affairs during the presidential election, said the world was overreacting, adding that the phone call between Tsai and Trump is like any other call that Trump made or received following his election win.
Pillsbury said the call should not be seen as a breach of convention, adding that while the US is likely to retain strong ties with Taiwan, it would not distance itself from China.
Pillsbury said that improving cross-strait ties in recent years mean that the US can maintain close ties with both nations, adding that the “zero-sum” mindset was obsolete.
Additional reporting by Chang Mao-sen and CNA
The inspection equipment and data transmission system for new robotic dogs that Taipei is planning to use for sidewalk patrols were developed by a Taiwanese company, the city’s New Construction Office said today, dismissing concerns that the China-made robots could pose a security risk. The city is bringing in smart robotic dogs to help with sidewalk inspections, Taipei Deputy Mayor Lee Ssu-chuan (李四川) said on Facebook. Equipped with a panoramic surveillance system, the robots would be able to automatically flag problems and easily navigate narrow sidewalks, making inspections faster and more accurate, Lee said. By collecting more accurate data, they would help Taipei
TAKING STOCK: The USMC is rebuilding a once-abandoned airfield in Palau to support large-scale ground operations as China’s missile range grows, Naval News reported The US Marine Corps (USMC) is considering new sites for stockpiling equipment in the West Pacific to harden military supply chains and enhance mobility across the Indo-Pacific region, US-based Naval News reported on Saturday. The proposed sites in Palau — one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies — and Australia would enable a “rapid standup of stored equipment within a year” of the program’s approval, the report said, citing documents published by the USMC last month. In Palau, the service is rebuilding a formerly abandoned World War II-era airfield and establishing ancillary structures to support large-scale ground operations “as China’s missile range and magazine
A 72-year-old man in Kaohsiung was sentenced to 40 days in jail after he was found having sex with a 67-year-old woman under a slide in a public park on Sunday afternoon. At 3pm on Sunday, a mother surnamed Liang (梁) was with her child at a neighborhood park when they found the man, surnamed Tsai (蔡), and woman, surnamed Huang (黃), underneath the slide. Liang took her child away from the scene, took photographs of the two and called the police, who arrived and arrested the couple. During questioning, Tsai told police that he had met Huang that day and offered to
A British man was arrested for attempting to smuggle 14.37kg of marijuana into Taiwan through Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taipei Customs said late yesterday. The man, who arrived from Bangkok at 9pm on Friday, was asked by customs officers to open his luggage during a random inspection, Taipei Customs said in a news release. The passenger, whose identity was not disclosed, refused to open his suitcase and tried to flee the restricted area. He was eventually subdued by three customs officials and an Aviation Police Bureau officer. A later search of his checked luggage uncovered 14.37kg of marijuana buds. The case was handed over
RSS