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.
EIGHT KILLED: Three of the four juvenile victims were children of the man suspected of setting the fire at the tire repair shop after a family dispute Four of the eight people killed in a fire in Hsinchu City on Wednesday night were children and the other four were adults who died while trying to rescue the children from the second floor of the burning building, the city’s Fire Bureau said yesterday. Fire Bureau First Corps commander Chang Chih-chih (張智智) told a news conference that the fire at Zheng Yi Tire Repair Shop on Dongda Road might have been intentionally set by the owner’s son, Chen Yen-hsiang (陳彥翔), who earlier had an argument with other family members. Chen allegedly bought gasoline and lit a fire near four motorcycles inside
FIFA World Cup host Qatar has corrected an online application form that listed Taiwan as part of China, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. Following the ministry’s protest on Wednesday, “Taiwan” replaced “Taiwan, Province of China” on a dropdown menu on the Web site to apply for a Hayya Card, an identification card all World Cup spectators are required to obtain, ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said. “We express our appreciation to the event organizers for their swift response in making the correction and safeguarding the rights of our nation’s fans,” she added. The card also serves as an entry visa for
FIVE QUESTIONED: Customers reported faulty kits after Safeway OA Supply Co allegedly imported poor-quality versions from China and sold them as US-made products The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday banned the sale and importation of Flowflex COVID-19 rapid test kits, after 2.37 million flawed kits, allegedly made in China, entered the Taiwanese market and were sold to 13 government agencies. According to regulations, the kits should be manufactured in factories in the US, but the importer allegedly imported poor-quality kits from China illegally and sold them as US-made products, FDA section chief Fu Ying-hsien (傅映先) said. The FDA ordered that all Flowflex COVID-19 Antigen Home Tests that were imported by Safeway OA Supply Co Ltd (大鑫資訊) be recalled and warned customers against buying or
NEW TRAVEL REGIME: The CECC advised people to stay put in between quarantine and self-disease prevention, but said that they could apply for a location change Inbound travelers who need to change locations for the four-day self-disease prevention period following their three-day quarantine must apply with their local government, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday. The “one person per household” principle would remain in place under the new “3+4” quarantine policy, which was implemented yesterday, the center said. More than 4,500 incoming travelers were expected yesterday, including more than 980 people who entered Taiwan in the early morning, said Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞), the CECC’s acting spokesman and medical response division deputy head. Lo said many people had asked the CECC whether
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