The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said that it was “optimistic and hopeful” about bilateral ties after reports that US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is to be replaced by CIA Director Michael Pompeo.
At a routine news conference in Taipei, Department of North American Affairs Director-General Remus Chen (陳立國) said Pompeo was “an extraordinary friend” of Taiwan.
When Pompeo was a member of the US House of Representatives, he voted in favor of Taiwan’s participation in Interpol and the International Civil Aviation Organization, and sent a congratulatory note to President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) after her election, Chen said.
The government was grateful to Tillerson for his contributions to the strengthening of the Taiwan-US friendship, he said.
At his confirmation hearing in February last year, Tillerson said that the US was committed to the “six assurances” and during his tenure he supported arms sales to Taiwan, Chen said.
Despite US Acting Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Susan Thornton’s comments earlier this month regarding recognition of Taiwan, the US Department of Commerce and US Small Businesses Administration senior officials have continued to visit the nation and show goodwill, Chen said.
“Taiwan and the US will continue to cooperate under the Global Cooperation and Training Framework, regardless of future appointments at the US Department of State,” he said.
“Taiwan-US cooperation is based on the foundation of mutual goodwill and the two sides will keep improving the partnership on substantive issues,” he added.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese