A deeply divided US Senate has confirmed the appointment of John R. Bolton to be undersecretary of state for Arms Control and International Security, despite nearly solid opposition from Democrats, some of whom questioned his close ties to Taiwan.
Senate Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Jesse Helms came to Bolton's defense in a strong statement on the floor before the body approved Bolton's nomination by a 57-43 vote, with only seven Democrats joining the 50 Republicans in voting for him.
The core of the Democrats' concern over Bolton stemmed from his extreme conservative views, including his opposition to the Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty, the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and his disdain for the UN.
But Delaware Senator Joseph Biden, the ranking Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, and liberal Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone, questioned Bolton's positions on Taiwan.
While at the Washington think tank, the American Enterprise Institute, during the Clinton administration, Bolton wrote a paper for a conference in which he supported an independent Taiwan and US recognition of the independence. In addition, in his disclosure forms as part of his nomination, he said he had received US$30,000 from the KMT government for a series of three articles he wrote from 1994 to 1996 favoring a UN seat for Taiwan. He also testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on the same subject.
"I am concerned," Wellstone said in a speech on the Senate floor, "that his unorthodox pro-independence views on Taiwan plus his acceptance of fees may color his judgment on key issues relating to Taiwan."
Wellstone noted that Bolton backtracked on his Taiwan independence stance in his Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing at the end of March, but said, "we are left uncertain about what his real views are. For a senior State Department official, this posture is unsettling. When John Bolton sits down to advise the secretary of state on relations with Taiwan, which view will Colin Powell be getting?" he said.
Biden called Bolton "outside the mainstream" of current foreign policy thinking.
"He has called for diplomatic recognition of Taiwan, a position at odds with three decades of US diplomacy -- and contrary to the position of this administration," Biden said in a Senate floor speech.
Helms heaped praise on Bolton as "precisely the kind of citizen whom the United States desperately needs at this difficult time ... This man is a thoughtful scholar, an accomplished diplomat and an honest and decent man."
In his confirmation hearing, under questioning on his Taiwan independence views, Bolton said that "things have changed" since he wrote his paper, in view of his State Department nomination. While he said "I stand by the analysis," he noted "it's not on my checklist of things to do at the State Department."
He said the paper compared Taiwan with the Korean peninsula and the former East and West Germany, where the US could extend both halves diplomatic recognition while promoting an eventual reunion.
"I do not think it would be inconsistent with a `one China' policy, as the German and Korea example showed," he said. "I'd like to call Beijing's interpretation the one PRC policy," he said at the time.
‘UNITED FRONT’: The married couple allegedly produced talk show videos for platforms such as Facebook and YouTube to influence Taiwan’s politics A husband and wife affiliated with the China Unification Promotion Party (CUPP) were indicted yesterday for allegedly receiving NT$74 million (US$2.32 million) from China to make radio and digital media propaganda to promote the Chinese government’s political agenda and influence the outcome of Taiwan’s elections. Chang Meng-chung (張孟崇) and his wife, Hung Wen-ting (洪文婷), allegedly received a total of NT$74 million from China between 2021 and last year to promote candidates favored by Beijing, contravening the Anti-Infiltration Act (反滲透法) and election laws, the Chiayi District Prosecutors’ Office said. The couple acted as Beijing’s propaganda mouthpiece by disparaging Hong Kong democracy activists
A Control Yuan member yesterday said he would initiate an investigation into why the number of foreign nationals injured or killed in traffic incidents has nearly doubled in the past few years, and whether government agencies’ mechanisms were ineffective in ensuring road safety. Control Yuan member Yeh Ta-hua (葉大華) said in a news release that Taiwan has been described as a “living hell for pedestrians” and traffic safety has become an important national security issue. According to a National Audit Office report released last year, more than 780,000 foreign nationals were legally residing in Taiwan in 2019, which grew to more than
‘SOMETHING SPECIAL’: Donald Trump vowed to reward his supporters, while President William Lai said he was confident the Taiwan-US partnership would continue Donald Trump was elected the 47th president of the US early yesterday morning, an extraordinary comeback for a former president who was convicted of felony charges and survived two assassination attempts. With a win in Wisconsin, Trump cleared the 270 electoral votes needed to clinch the presidency. As of press time last night, The Associated Press had Trump on 277 electoral college votes to 224 for US Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic Party’s nominee, with Alaska, Arizona, Maine, Michigan and Nevada yet to finalize results. He had 71,289,216 votes nationwide, or 51 percent, while Harris had 66,360,324 (47.5 percent). “We’ve been through so
The US will continue its friendly approach toward Taiwan in the next US administration and Taiwan would work to prevent China “making trouble” during the transition, a senior Taiwanese security official said yesterday. Former US president Donald Trump, the Republican candidate who claimed victory in Tuesday’s vote against US Vice President Kamala Harris of the Democratic Party, made comments on the campaign trail that Taiwan should pay to be protected and also accused the nation of “stealing” American semiconductor business. Taiwan has faced military pressure from Beijing over the past five years, including four major rounds of war games in the past