A US congressional delegation yesterday pledged to support Taiwan’s bid to purchase defense equipment from the US during a visit that they said demonstrated their love for Taipei, as well as Washington’s continued presence in the Asia-Pacific region.
The 19-member delegation led by US Senator James Inhofe, cochair of the US Senate Taiwan Caucus, includes three other senators and one congressman who serve on the US Senate’s and House of Representatives’ armed services committees.
The delegation arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday for a three-day visit, during which its members are to meet with high-level government officials to enhance their understanding of Taiwan-US ties and regional security issues, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Photo: Huang Yao-cheng, Taipei Times
As Taiwan-US ties have been called into question after the removal of Republic of China flags from several US government Web sites since September last year, reporters asked delegation members why they chose to visit Taiwan at this time.
“We are here because of our love for Taiwan and we see there are threats in this part of the world. We are very much concerned about our freedom here, as well as your freedom here. This is a very important area for us to be going around in,” Inhofe told an outdoor news conference at the Taipei Guest House.
Inhofe said they met with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) — whom he said he “loves very much” — yesterday morning, when they talked about energy, a major export item of the US.
Turning to military issues, he said Taiwan and the US see many mutual needs and that it was not a one-way street.
“There are some armaments [that] will be helpful to Taiwan, and certainly they have our fullest cooperation. [We] anticipate that our interests are the same,” Inhofe said, adding that many US defense contractors want to deal with Taiwan.
“We just want to give you the reassurance that the love we have for Taiwan has been consistent. It has never slowed down and never will,” he said.
Another purpose of the trip is to demonstrate something that is very obvious, but not always acknowledged: the US is an Asia-Pacific country, US Senator Daniel Sullivan said.
“America is an Asia-Pacific country. We are an Asia-Pacific power. We have been for over 200 years and we will be here for another 200 years,” Sullivan said.
“We have allies that we have built up in this region of the world for decades and one of the most important allies is Taiwan,” he added.
Asked what kind of role Taiwan can play in US President Donald Trump’s Indo-Pacific strategy, he said the strategy was not only about deepening Washington’s relationship with its current allies, like Taiwan, but also about broadening its alliance with other nations in the region.
“Again, Taiwan has been a critical ally for decades, but a lot of it is [based on] shared values, too... There is a lot in the [US] president’s strategy, which we are all supportive of, that I think will certainly include countries like Taiwan,” Sullivan said.
LOW RISK: Most nations do not extradite people accused of political crimes, and the UN says extradition can only happen if the act is a crime in both countries, an official said China yesterday issued wanted notices for two Taiwanese influencers, accusing them of committing “separatist acts” by criticizing Beijing, amid broadening concerns over China’s state-directed transnational repression. The Quanzhou Public Security Bureau in a notice posted online said police are offering a reward of up to 25,000 yuan (US$3,523) for information that could contribute to the investigation or apprehension of pro-Taiwanese independence YouTuber Wen Tzu-yu (溫子渝),who is known as Pa Chiung (八炯) online, and rapper Chen Po-yuan (陳柏源). Wen and Chen are suspected of spreading content that supported secession from China, slandered Chinese policies that benefit Taiwanese and discrimination against Chinese spouses of
ALIGNED THINKING: Taiwan and Japan have a mutual interest in trade, culture and engineering, and can work together for stability, Cho Jung-tai said Taiwan and Japan are two like-minded countries willing to work together to form a “safety barrier” in the Indo-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday said at the opening ceremony of the 35th Taiwan-Japan Modern Engineering and Technology Symposium in Taipei. Taiwan and Japan are close geographically and closer emotionally, he added. Citing the overflowing of a barrier lake in the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) in September, Cho said the submersible water level sensors given by Japan during the disaster helped Taiwan monitor the lake’s water levels more accurately. Japan also provided a lot of vaccines early in the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,
PROMOTION: Travelers who want a free stopover must book their flights with designated travel agents, such as Lion Travel, Holiday Tours, Cola Tour and Life Tours Air Canada yesterday said it is offering Taiwanese travelers who are headed to North America free stopovers if they transit though airports in Japan and South Korea. The promotion was launched in response to a potential rise in demand for flights to North America in June and July next year, when the US, Canada and Mexico are scheduled to jointly host the FIFA World Cup, Air Canada said. Air Canada offers services to 13 of the 16 host cities of the tournament’s soccer games, including Toronto and Vancouver; Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey in Mexico; Atlanta, Georgia; Boston; Dallas; Houston;
The US approved the possible sale to Taiwan of fighter jet spare and repair parts for US$330 million, the Pentagon said late yesterday, marking the first such potential transaction since US President Donald Trump took office in January. "The proposed sale will improve the recipient's capability to meet current and future threats by maintaining the operational readiness of the recipient's fleet of F-16, C-130," and other aircraft, the Pentagon said in a statement. Trump previously said that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has told him he would not invade Taiwan while the Republican leader is in office. The announcement of the possible arms
RSS