President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday said that Taiwan would not give in to threats from China, after Panama announced earlier in the day that it was switching diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing.
Despite Beijing’s constant suppression of Taiwan’s international space, the Republic of China (ROC) remains a sovereign nation and that is a fact Beijing cannot deny, Tsai said at a news conference after the announcement.
In addition, the ROC’s existence and its value and status in the international community cannot be changed, she said.
Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times
“Our approach of not competing with Beijing’s ‘checkbook diplomacy’ will not change,” she added.
On behalf of Taiwan’s 23 million people, “we will not compromise under its threat,” she said.
“Our only choice is to work together against the threat,” which is the most powerful way to highlight Taiwan’s sovereignty, Tsai said, adding that Taiwan’s existence and its presence in the international arena are vital to regional peace and stability.
“We would not be happy to see cross-strait relations go from peaceful to confrontational because of Beijing’s mistaken thinking and provocations,” she said.
The president said her message to Beijing is that Taiwan has fulfilled its responsibility to maintain cross-strait peace and stability, but Beijing’s actions have affected the stable cross-strait “status quo,” which is unacceptable to Taiwanese.
National security authorities had been keeping abreast of the situation as it developed and had done their best, but Panama’s final decision was regrettable, she said.
The government would now work to ensure that national economic plans would not be affected and would continue to protect the rights of Taiwanese businesspeople and other Taiwanese in the Central American nation, she said.
At a separate news conference, Presidential Office Secretary-
General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) described Beijing’s action as a “mistake” that would hurt the cross-strait “status quo” and push cross-strait ties from peace toward confrontation, adding that the government would re-evaluate the cross-strait situation.
He also urged Beijing to desist from any moves that could damage regional stability and hurt Taiwanese, and appealed to Taiwanese to stand united in the face of external challenges.
“Such action is not only a blatant threat to Taiwanese’s right to survive, but also a blatant provocation to cross-strait and regional peace and stability,” he said. “We hereby express our serious condemnation.”
Mainland Affairs Council Deputy Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) told a separate news conference that the government would not rule out reviewing related policies, including those on cross-strait ties and taking “necessary measures.”
He said that over the past year, the government has committed itself to maintaining cross-strait peace and stability by exercising restraint and showing good will.
However, Beijing has repeatedly hurt the feelings of Taiwanese and created confrontation and conflict across the Taiwan Strait, he said, adding that Chinese authorities must “take full responsibility” for damaging cross-strait peace and stability.
Premier Lin Chuan (林全) also expressed regret over Panama’s decision to break diplomatic ties with Taiwan and establish formal relations with China.
“I do not think it is effective if China believes it can achieve its ‘one China’ principle by poaching Taiwan’s diplomatic allies. In fact, it could backfire and cause cross-strait relations to deteriorate,” Lin said.
Additional reporting by Chen Wei-han
CONGRESSIONAL SUPPORT: A new committee would investigate a backlog of US weapons sales to Taiwan, said its chairman, US Representative Mike Gallagher The US should formally recognize Taiwan as an independent nation, and end its outdated and counterproductive “one China” policy, US Representative Tom Tiffany and 18 other US lawmakers wrote in a petition. “It is time to change the status quo and recognize the reality denied by the US government for decades: Taiwan is an independent nation,” Tiffany told the Epoch Times. “As our long-standing and valued partner, correctly acknowledging their independence from communist China is long overdue.” The resolution also asks the administration of US President Joe Biden to support Taiwan’s membership in international organizations and to negotiate a bilateral free-trade
GUT FEELING: In the leaked memo, US Air Force General Mike Minihan urged mobile command personnel to go to a firing range, shoot at a target and ‘aim for the head’ A four-star US Air Force general has warned of a conflict with China as early as 2025 — most likely over Taiwan — and urged his commanders to push their units to achieve maximum operational battle readiness this year. In an internal memorandum that first emerged on social media on Friday, and was later confirmed as genuine by the Pentagon, Air Mobility Command Commander General Mike Minihan said that the main goal should be to deter “and, if required, defeat” China. “I hope I am wrong. My gut tells me we will fight in 2025,” Minihan said. Minihan said that Taiwan’s presidential election
INCREASED RISK: The Omicron BA.2.75 subvariant has higher immune evasive capacity, but the CECC is more concerned about newer subvariants such as XBB and BQ.1 With the peak season for infectious respiratory diseases coming to an end, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday said that details of the next phase of lifting COVID-19 masking rules — removing the mask requirement in most indoor settings — are to be announced this week. Discussions on lifting other COVID-19 restrictions are also being held, including further easing border control measures, home isolation requirements and revising the definition for reporting cases, while also downgrading COVID-19 to a lower category of notifiable communicable disease, said Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝), who heads the CECC. As the daily
DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM: Czech president-elect Petr Pavel said his nation stands firmly on the side of democracy and would boost cooperation with Taipei in all aspects Czech president-elect Petr Pavel spoke by telephone with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday, a highly unusual move given the lack of formal ties and a diplomatic coup for Taipei. Tsai spoke with Pavel for 15 minutes in a harmonious atmosphere, Presidential Office spokeswoman Lin Yu-chan (林聿禪) said, adding that Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) was also present during the conversation. Lin quoted Pavel as telling Tsai that Taiwan is a trustworthy partner, adding that the Czech Republic stands firmly on the side of democracy and supports Taiwan in maintaining a lively democratic system free from authoritarian coercion. The Czech Republic would