President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said in a recent interview with CNN that her decision on whether to accept an invitation to address the US Congress would depend on three major considerations.
While ties with the US improved after US President Donald Trump took office in January 2017, in the interview with CNN correspondent Matt Rivers on Monday, Tsai said that it was not a simple decision to make and would require “comprehensive consideration.”
“From our perspective, would we accept such an invitation if it were extended? We would have to look at it from several angles,” Tsai said.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
Tsai laid out three major considerations: “Would delivering an address in Washington DC be in the interests of Taiwan, benefit Taiwan-US relations, and serve peace and stability in the region?”
On Feb. 7, a group of US senators wrote a joint letter to US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, calling on her to invite Tsai to address a joint session of the US Congress.
The letter was signed by Cory Gardner, Marco Rubio, Tom Cotton, John Cornyn and Ted Cruz.
Some US politicians have opposed the proposal, with former American Institute in Taiwan chairman Richard Bush saying that it was flawed, as it would not be conducive to US relations with China and would hurt Taiwan.
Former US deputy assistant secretary of state Susan Shirk even said the proposal was a “huge mistake,” adding that it would be highly irresponsible for Trump to use Taiwan as leverage in dealing with China.
Tsai, who came to power in May 2016, also said in the interview that she intended to seek re-election next year.
According to CNN, Tsai, throughout the interview, painted the picture that Taiwan was facing down the growing might of China.
Last month, Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) called for the peaceful unification of China and Taiwan, but declined to discount the use of force.
“Chairman Xi Jinping’s New Year’s address alerted Taiwan to the fact that its independent existence could be changed, because Xi has started to talk about unification and the ‘one country, two systems’ concept,” Tsai told CNN.
When asked “if China invaded tomorrow, would you count on the US military to be there?” Tsai said that Taiwan has been strengthening its military capability.
“Our defenses are well-prepared for an attack at any time — for any situation where we would need to fend China off for 24 hours,” Tsai said. “So we would hope that after withstanding any first wave of attacks ourselves, other countries throughout the world would stand up in unison and put strong pressure upon China in response.”
Hong Kong singer Eason Chan’s (陳奕迅) concerts in Kaohsiung this weekend have been postponed after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 this morning, the organizer said today. Chan’s “FEAR and DREAMS” concert which was scheduled to be held in the coming three days at the Kaohsiung Arena would be rescheduled to May 29, 30 and 31, while the three shows scheduled over the next weekend, from May 23 to 25, would be held as usual, Universal Music said in a statement. Ticket holders can apply for a full refund or attend the postponed concerts with the same seating, the organizer said. Refund arrangements would
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
The US Department of State on Monday reaffirmed that US policy on Taiwan remains unchanged, following US President Donald Trump’s use of the term “unification” while commenting on recent trade talks with China. Speaking at a wide-ranging press conference, Trump described what he viewed as progress in trade negotiations with China held in Geneva, Switzerland, over the weekend. “They’ve agreed to open China — fully open China, and I think it’s going to be fantastic for China. I think it’s going to be fantastic for us,” Trump said. “I think it’s going to be great for unification and peace.” Trump’s use of the
RSS