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.
FUKUOKA SITUATION: Japanese media reported that the pathogen is expected to be identified by the summer, while the CDC downplayed the idea that it was hMPV A “mysterious cold-like illness” reported in Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture does not seem to be a new disease, but Japanese authorities have been asked about the situation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The Fukuoka Prefectural Medical Association on Wednesday told a news conference that a “mystery cold” that has become a hot topic on social media is “highly likely to be caused by some kind of viral infection,” Japan’s KBC News reported. “Many people are experiencing symptoms starting with a sore throat, followed by a runny nose, phlegm and a severe cough,” KBC News reported, citing association officials. Health authorities are
Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) arrived in Taiwan yesterday ahead of upcoming AI and technology events, saying he plans to meet with clients and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) during his visit. After landing at Taipei Songshan Airport, Huang posed for photos with fans and handed out Yakult drinks to reporters and supporters waiting at the scene, saying he has “a lot to do” during the trip. Asked about reports that Nvidia’s planned headquarters site in Taipei’s Beitou Shilin Technology Park could break ground on May 27, Huang said that if the company holds an event, he would
Carrefour Taiwan is to begin using a new name from the start of July, but it cannot divulge the name until then, the chairman of the supermarket chain's parent company said today. President Chain Store Co chairman Lo Chih-hsien (羅智先) was asked by reporters after a shareholders' meeting to confirm whether the company has settled on a new name for the supermarket brand. In March, the government-registered name of two Carrefour Taiwan branches was quietly changed to "Le Chia Kang" (樂家康) in Chinese, raising speculation that has been selected as the name. Lo said that because of local regulations and contractual obligations, the
The Philippines would likely be involved in any conflict over Taiwan due to its proximity to the democracy claimed by China, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said, reiterating a stance that risks angering Beijing. “In the Philippines, we do not have a choice because Taiwan is so close to the Philippines and we have almost 200,000 Filipino nationals living and working in Taiwan,” Marcos said in an interview with Japanese media in Manila on Monday. The Philippine leader’s comments come ahead of a state visit to Japan next week, where he is to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to discuss security
RSS