The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said it would soon propose ideas in response to the US’ Indo-Pacific initiative, as it expressed gratitude to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for mentioning the importance of Washington’s partnership with Taipei in a speech on the US administration’s strategy.
Speaking at a routine news conference in Taipei, Department of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Director-General Baushuan Ger (葛葆萱) said that the department’s Indo-Pacific Affairs Section, which was established in May as an advisory agency, has been closely observing concerned nations’ rhetoric about the initiative.
“So far, no country has proposed a specific strategy regarding the initiative. We will be paying close attention to their future remarks,” Ger said, adding that the department plans to expand the section’s staff of four to help it better accomplish its tasks.
Photo: AFP
Hudson Institute Center for Chinese Strategy director Michael Pillsbury, who served on US President Donald Trump’s transition team, said at a forum in Taipei last week that Taiwan should be more active in proposing ideas for the initiative, to which Ger responded that the government plans to do so in the near future.
The section is responsible for guiding the government’s New Southbound Policy and the Indo-Pacific global strategy, and handles affairs concerning major actors in the region, including India, Australia and New Zealand, the ministry said.
Meanwhile, ministry spokesman Andrew Lee (李憲章) yesterday expressed the government’s appreciation for Pompeo’s positive remarks regarding Taiwan at the Indo-Pacific Business Forum in Washington on Monday.
Photo: Lu Yi-hsuan, Taipei Times
Pompeo named several partnerships the US has developed in the Indo-Pacific region, including with Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore.
Taiwan’s economic development has gone hand-in-hand with its open and democratic society, which has “blossomed into a high-tech powerhouse,” he said.
“We welcome the level of importance the US has attached to the region, as well as the ideas concerned nations have proposed regarding the Indo-Pacific strategy,” Lee said. “We believe Taiwan can play an important role in the strategy.”
The government is to work closely with neighboring countries, especially those that have proposed policies in response to the US’ strategy, Lee added.
“We will also integrate [the strategy] with our New Southbound Policy and form effective partnerships with neighboring countries to ensure the sustainability of the Indo-Pacific initiative,” he said.
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