Pundits yesterday described US President Donald Trump’s signing of the US Taiwan Travel Act as symbolically meaningful, as it conveys a message of support to Taiwan.
The White House late on Friday said that Trump had signed the act, which “encourages visits between officials of the United States and Taiwan at all levels.”
The signing of the bill into law signifies US support for Taiwan’s democracy at a time when the nation is facing increased pressure from China, Tamkang University Center for Advanced Technology executive officer Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲) said.
At the same time, it ends the US’ self-imposed longstanding practice of prohibiting high-level officials from the Taiwan and the US from visiting each other’s countries, Su said, adding that in doing so, the US is letting China know that its approach to its relationship with Taiwan and China might be “completely different” from how it used to be.
Previous US administrations since former US president Bill Clinton’s term were more flexible and compromising in dealing with China, but the current administration has adopted a tougher approach in the areas of trade and regional security, Su said.
For instance, the US initiated an investigation into China’s alleged violation of intellectual property rights and illicit technology transfers, and could impose sanctions if the allegations are proven to be true, Su said.
Since the US Congress passed the act, some Taiwanese lawmakers have said that it could be used as another card for the US in its negotiations with China.
This view was echoed in an analysis by Sean King, a senior vice president at US consultancy and lobbyist firm Park Strategies.
Trump is “frustrated with Beijing on North Korea and trade, while also increasingly alarmed by its moves in the South China Sea, the East China Sea and elsewhere,” King said.
“So, signing this act into law can rattle Beijing a bit,” while showing Taiwan that the US values it, King said.
Trump chose to sign the bill into law instead of simply letting it pass into law by not vetoing it, which shows real intent on Trump’s part, King said, adding that he wanted “somebody to know something.”
Su said the act was an “edit” to the Three Communiques, which make it clear that Taiwan and the US are not to develop any official relationship.
Although Trump already had the power to make such high-level official exchanges occur if he wanted to, the Taiwan Travel Act, albeit not legally binding, puts the idea into writing, which explains China’s resolute opposition, Su said.
Former Czech Republic-based Taiwanese researcher Cheng Yu-chin (鄭宇欽) has been sentenced to seven years in prison on espionage-related charges, China’s Ministry of State Security announced yesterday. China said Cheng was a spy for Taiwan who “masqueraded as a professor” and that he was previously an assistant to former Cabinet secretary-general Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰). President-elect William Lai (賴清德) on Wednesday last week announced Cho would be his premier when Lai is inaugurated next month. Today is China’s “National Security Education Day.” The Chinese ministry yesterday released a video online showing arrests over the past 10 years of people alleged to be
THE HAWAII FACTOR: While a 1965 opinion said an attack on Hawaii would not trigger Article 5, the text of the treaty suggests the state is covered, the report says NATO could be drawn into a conflict in the Taiwan Strait if Chinese forces attacked the US mainland or Hawaii, a NATO Defense College report published on Monday says. The report, written by James Lee, an assistant research fellow at Academia Sinica’s Institute of European and American Studies, states that under certain conditions a Taiwan contingency could trigger Article 5 of NATO, under which an attack against any member of the alliance is considered an attack against all members, necessitating a response. Article 6 of the North Atlantic Treaty specifies that an armed attack in the territory of any member in Europe,
LIKE FAMILY: People now treat dogs and cats as family members. They receive the same medical treatments and tests as humans do, a veterinary association official said The number of pet dogs and cats in Taiwan has officially outnumbered the number of human newborns last year, data from the Ministry of Agriculture’s pet registration information system showed. As of last year, Taiwan had 94,544 registered pet dogs and 137,652 pet cats, the data showed. By contrast, 135,571 babies were born last year. Demand for medical care for pet animals has also risen. As of Feb. 29, there were 5,773 veterinarians in Taiwan, 3,993 of whom were for pet animals, statistics from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency showed. In 2022, the nation had 3,077 pediatricians. As of last
XINJIANG: Officials are conducting a report into amending an existing law or to enact a special law to prohibit goods using forced labor Taiwan is mulling an amendment prohibiting the importation of goods using forced labor, similar to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) passed by the US Congress in 2021 that imposed limits on goods produced using forced labor in China’s Xinjiang region. A government official who wished to remain anonymous said yesterday that as the US customs law explicitly prohibits the importation of goods made using forced labor, in 2021 it passed the specialized UFLPA to limit the importation of cotton and other goods from China’s Xinjiang Uyghur region. Taiwan does not have the legal basis to prohibit the importation of goods