The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday expressed regret over the US' decision to drop a resolution condemning Beijing's human rights record this year at the UN Human Rights Commission.
Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Michael Kau (
Kau made the comments after New Party Legislator Lai Shih-pao (
UNDER PRESSURE
"The US said it would not introduce a resolution criticizing China's human rights record at the UN. It is [US Secretary of State Condoleezza] Rice's gift to Beijing. It is strange that MOFA has so far said nothing on the matter," Lai said.
Noting that the ministry has communicated with the US on the issue, Kau said Washington's decision was regrettable.
The Anti-Secession Law has caused great pressure on the people of Taiwan, Kau said, citing Chi Mei Optoelectronics Corp (
Formerly a staunch advocate of Taiwan's independence, Hsu published a retirement letter last Saturday voicing his support for the Anti-Secession Law and Beijing's "one China" principle.
Senior government officials close to Hsu, however, said Beijing had forced the businessman to reverse his political stance.
The international community responded positively to last Saturday's peaceful march in Taipei protesting against the Chinese law, Kau said.
Various overseas Taiwanese groups also held rallies on the same day to condemn the law.
However, according to Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) Legislator David Huang (黃適卓), Taiwan's representative to the EU, Chen Chien-jen (程建人), had dissuaded Taiwanese students in Europe from attending such rallies.
Huang said in the legislative session that Taiwan's representative offices in Holland, France and Munich had also asked Taiwanese students to stay away from such activities.
It is "not believable" that the country's overseas representative offices would prevent Taiwanese students from attending the rallies, Kau said, who nevertheless promised to look into the case.
To counter the impact of the Chinese law, Kau said the ministry planned to send delegations to the US, Japan and the EU next month to explain Taiwan's stance on the law.
DISCUSSIONS
The delegations will discuss with the US, Japan and European countries the EU's proposal to lift up its arms embargo on China and Taiwan's ninth bid to join the World Health Organization as the UN body holds its annual assembly in Geneva in May.
"Our delegates will strongly express Taiwan's opinions on how lifting the arms embargo will affect security in the Taiwan Strait," Kau said.
Kau said US officials suggested Taiwan would have more bargaining chips with China if it can reach unity within itself.
AIR SUPPORT: The Ministry of National Defense thanked the US for the delivery, adding that it was an indicator of the White House’s commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) and Representative to the US Alexander Yui on Friday attended a delivery ceremony for the first of Taiwan’s long-awaited 66 F-16C/D Block 70 jets at a Lockheed Martin Corp factory in Greenville, South Carolina. “We are so proud to be the global home of the F-16 and to support Taiwan’s air defense capabilities,” US Representative William Timmons wrote on X, alongside a photograph of Taiwanese and US officials at the event. The F-16C/D Block 70 jets Taiwan ordered have the same capabilities as aircraft that had been upgraded to F-16Vs. The batch of Lockheed Martin
GRIDLOCK: The National Fire Agency’s Special Search and Rescue team is on standby to travel to the countries to help out with the rescue effort A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar and neighboring Thailand yesterday, killing at least three people in Bangkok and burying dozens when a high-rise building under construction collapsed. Footage shared on social media from Myanmar’s second-largest city showed widespread destruction, raising fears that many were trapped under the rubble or killed. The magnitude 7.7 earthquake, with an epicenter near Mandalay in Myanmar, struck at midday and was followed by a strong magnitude 6.4 aftershock. The extent of death, injury and destruction — especially in Myanmar, which is embroiled in a civil war and where information is tightly controlled at the best of times —
China's military today said it began joint army, navy and rocket force exercises around Taiwan to "serve as a stern warning and powerful deterrent against Taiwanese independence," calling President William Lai (賴清德) a "parasite." The exercises come after Lai called Beijing a "foreign hostile force" last month. More than 10 Chinese military ships approached close to Taiwan's 24 nautical mile (44.4km) contiguous zone this morning and Taiwan sent its own warships to respond, two senior Taiwanese officials said. Taiwan has not yet detected any live fire by the Chinese military so far, one of the officials said. The drills took place after US Secretary
THUGGISH BEHAVIOR: Encouraging people to report independence supporters is another intimidation tactic that threatens cross-strait peace, the state department said China setting up an online system for reporting “Taiwanese independence” advocates is an “irresponsible and reprehensible” act, a US government spokesperson said on Friday. “China’s call for private individuals to report on alleged ‘persecution or suppression’ by supposed ‘Taiwan independence henchmen and accomplices’ is irresponsible and reprehensible,” an unnamed US Department of State spokesperson told the Central News Agency in an e-mail. The move is part of Beijing’s “intimidation campaign” against Taiwan and its supporters, and is “threatening free speech around the world, destabilizing the Indo-Pacific region, and deliberately eroding the cross-strait status quo,” the spokesperson said. The Chinese Communist Party’s “threats