Tsai foreign policy is positive
After the position was left vacant for a long time, US President Donald Trump has finally nominated an official for Asian and Pacific affairs. Randall Schriver, former deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs under the administration of former US president George W. Bush, is expected to be appointed as assistant secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific affairs, the top Asia policy job at the Pentagon.
He is a Taiwan advocate and an expert in Asia-Pacific affairs.
In his nomination hearing, Schriver asserted that the US should normalize arms sales to Taiwan and invest more resources in the security of its Asian partners. The nomination might be seen as a positive development for the Taiwan-US relationship.
Trump’s nomination of a Taiwan-friendly official, along with a series of moves by the US government, has indicated a warmer relationship with Taiwan.
During President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) state visit to Taiwan’s diplomatic allies in the southern Pacific, she received extensive media coverage during her stopovers in Hawaii and Guam.
In addition, two Republican members of the US House of Representatives proposed a draft Taiwan Security Act, the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs has passed a Taiwan Travel Act and Taiwanese are now in the US’ Global Entry Program.
Taiwan-US relations are crucial for Taiwan, the US and the stability of the Asia-Pacific region.
The cross-strait relationship is another critical issue in the area. For the US government, maintaining stability and peace between Taiwan and China is the top priority and it fits US interests.
Tsai has emphasized that her cross-strait policy is to maintain the “status quo.”
In her Double Ten National Day address, Tsai mentioned her four “will nots” principle: Taiwan will not change its goodwill, change its commitments, revert to the old path of confrontation or bow to pressure.
The government has done its best to show goodwill toward China. The current cross-strait relationship can be viewed as a cold peace compared with the relationship under the administration of former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).
Furthermore, based on Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) speech at the Chinese Communist Party’s 19th National Congress last month, while Taiwan remains a crucial issue, the Chinese government has other priorities at the moment.
The “status quo” might remain and is still acceptable for all counterparts in this region.
Ian Easton, a research fellow of the Project 2049 Institute focusing on Asia-Pacific issues, has said that the US government welcomes a stable and peaceful cross-strait relationship.
It encourages both sides of the Taiwan Strait to conduct constructive dialogue and maintain the security of the region.
Before Trump’s visit to Asia, people were worried that Taiwan might become a bargaining chip for the US.
However, it has turned out that the Taiwan issue was not mentioned during any formal discussions. The outcome of Trump’s tour is positive, because no news is good news.
Even though uncertainty is the trademark of the Trump administration, the Taiwan-US relationship remains confident and stable, and there is still room for improvement.
Although many challenges lie ahead, Tsai’s foreign policy is moving forward steadily.
Jack Lu
Taipei
The gutting of Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA) by US President Donald Trump’s administration poses a serious threat to the global voice of freedom, particularly for those living under authoritarian regimes such as China. The US — hailed as the model of liberal democracy — has the moral responsibility to uphold the values it champions. In undermining these institutions, the US risks diminishing its “soft power,” a pivotal pillar of its global influence. VOA Tibetan and RFA Tibetan played an enormous role in promoting the strong image of the US in and outside Tibet. On VOA Tibetan,
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), the leader of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), caused a national outrage and drew diplomatic condemnation on Tuesday after he arrived at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office dressed in a Nazi uniform. Sung performed a Nazi salute and carried a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf as he arrived to be questioned over allegations of signature forgery in the recall petition. The KMT’s response to the incident has shown a striking lack of contrition and decency. Rather than apologizing and distancing itself from Sung’s actions,
US President Trump weighed into the state of America’s semiconductor manufacturing when he declared, “They [Taiwan] stole it from us. They took it from us, and I don’t blame them. I give them credit.” At a prior White House event President Trump hosted TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家), head of the world’s largest and most advanced chip manufacturer, to announce a commitment to invest US$100 billion in America. The president then shifted his previously critical rhetoric on Taiwan and put off tariffs on its chips. Now we learn that the Trump Administration is conducting a “trade investigation” on semiconductors which
By now, most of Taiwan has heard Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an’s (蔣萬安) threats to initiate a vote of no confidence against the Cabinet. His rationale is that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-led government’s investigation into alleged signature forgery in the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) recall campaign constitutes “political persecution.” I sincerely hope he goes through with it. The opposition currently holds a majority in the Legislative Yuan, so the initiation of a no-confidence motion and its passage should be entirely within reach. If Chiang truly believes that the government is overreaching, abusing its power and targeting political opponents — then