Two US representatives arrived in Taiwan on Friday for a five-day visit, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday, but declined to comment on the non-publicized visit of a Pentagon official.
After US Senator Ted Cruz attended the Double Ten National Day celebrations last month, the visit by US representatives Bill Flores and Guy Reschenthaler shows the joint support Taiwan enjoys in the US Congress, the ministry said in a statement.
Cruz, Flores and Reschenthaler are members of the Republican Party.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Flores and Reschenthaler are adamant friends of Taiwan, and have signed many bills or joint letters in support of the nation, the ministry said.
A member of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus, Flores has visited Taiwan twice before, and has signed congressional petitions supporting the nation’s participation in Interpol and the International Civil Aviation Organization, it said.
Reschenthaler has signed the US’ Taiwan Reassurance Act, and Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative, and voted in favor of a resolution reaffirming the US’ commitment to Taiwan and to carrying out its Taiwan Relations Act, the ministry said.
Meanwhile, Heino Klinck, the US deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia, also visited Taiwan this week, but his visit was not officially announced. It was reported by the Chinese-language United Daily News on Friday.
Klinck oversees defense policy throughout East Asia, was sworn into office in August, and has three decades of experience in the private sector and the military, according to the US Department of Defense Web site.
He is the most senior Pentagon official to visit Taiwan in more than a decade and his visit came as the US is discussing options for boosting Taiwan’s defense capabilities in the face of increasing threat from China ahead of the Jan. 11 elections, the Financial Times reported yesterday.
American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Brent Christensen did not respond to queries for comment on Klinck’s visit during a news conference on Friday.
The ministry declined to comment on Klinck’s visit, only saying he is the AIT’s guest.
In related news, a former senior adviser in the administration of US President Donald Trump on Friday said that Washington should send a Cabinet official to Taiwan whenever China steals one of Taipei’s diplomatic allies, to send a message to Beijing.
Christian Whiton, who also served as a senior adviser in the administration of former US president George W. Bush, made the remarks at a forum held by the Hudson Institute in Washington.
Whiton also suggested that the US allow Taiwan’s president and minister of foreign affairs to visit Washington to counter Beijing’s political warfare instead of only making transit stops in US cities when visiting Taipei’s allies.
In the past three years, seven diplomatic allies have switched recognition to China, leaving 15 allies that recognize Taiwan diplomatically.
Additional reporting by CNA
‘NO SECURITY RISK’: The Railway Bureau reassured the public that the technicians’ activities were limited to technical guidance and did not involve sensitive systems The Railway Bureau yesterday said it had invited eight Chinese technicians to assist with an airport MRT construction project. The bureau issued the confirmation after an Internet user said Chinese nationals had entered the construction zone of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s Terminal 3 project. They asked why “individuals from an enemy state” were allowed access to such a major national infrastructure project, which raised serious concerns over Taiwan’s industrial safety, sensitive systems and information security. The bureau’s Northern Region Engineering Branch Office said subcontractor Taiwan Handle Industrial Co (台灣手把工業) of the Taoyuan airport MRT’s “Contract No. CU05 Project A14 Station Civil, MEP &
A US uncrewed surface vessel (USV) encountered multiple Chinese warships during an autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait, US defense company Seasats said in a statement on Wednesday. Seasats announced that a Lightfish USV had completed the first autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait. Over five days, the USV traversed the entire length of the Strait while constantly monitoring surface vessel traffic, the company said. The Lightfish encountered multiple Chinese warships, one of which was a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Type 056 corvette, it said. The Chinese vessels were operating “well within Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone without transmitting their identity via the
‘BOOMING’: ’ The number of partners we have here is incredible. You can see from their stock prices. They’re doing so well, they’re so happy,’ Jensen Huang said Nvidia Corp’s spending in Taiwan has ballooned to about US$150 billion a year, 10 times the US$10 billion to US$15 billion the company spent five years ago, Nvidia chief executive officer Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) said yesterday, suggesting Taiwan’s strategic importance in the global artificial intelligence (AI) supply chain. “Taiwan is the epicenter of the AI revolution. This is where the chips come, packaging comes. This is where the systems are made. This is where AI supercomputers were created,” Huang said at a meeting for the company’s employees in Beitou-Shilin Technology Park (北投士林科技園區) in Taipei, the planned site of Nvidia’s Taipei headquarters. “Taiwan
GREATER REACH? Auto parts and wood products would face tariffs of up to 15%, matching those targeting the EU, Japan and South Korea, Vice Premier said The US has announced that preferential tariff treatment for Taiwan’s non-semiconductor Section 232 goods would take effect retroactively from May 1, the Executive Yuan said yesterday. The US government yesterday posted a notice on the Federal Register’s public inspection Web site previewing tariff concessions for Taiwan under a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Taiwan-US investment after two months of negotiations. The MOU signed on Jan. 15 stipulated three major preferential tariff arrangements: a 15 percent “reciprocal” tariff rate for Taiwan without stacking most-favored nation (MFN) rates; preferential Section 232 treatment for semiconductors and related products; and preferential Section 232 treatment for non-semiconductor
RSS